Local Politics · Los Angeles, CA
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter heard arguments Tuesday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles in a case where the Justice Department seeks to set aside ballots of approximately 20,000 alleged noncitizen voters in California. The DOJ sued Secretary of State Shirley Weber and L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan, requesting an emergency order to halt processing of suspect ballots until citizenship is verified. State attorneys argued the federal list was unreliable—shrinking from a claimed 190,000 to 20,000—and that segregating ballots would disenfranchise voters. Carter indicated he would rule by Wednesday and suggested another hearing in roughly two weeks after the general election, noting Dec. 3 as California's certification deadline. The DOJ also sent letters to election officials in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties requesting verification of citizenship status for additional individuals.
Local Politics · Los Angeles, CA
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter heard arguments Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles in a case where the Justice Department seeks to temporarily set aside ballots of approximately 20,000 alleged noncitizen voters on California's rolls. The DOJ named California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan as defendants, requesting an emergency temporary restraining order one week before Election Day. Carter indicated he would rule by Wednesday and suggested a follow-up hearing with expert witnesses about two weeks after the election, noting Dec. 3 is California's deadline to certify results. The DOJ also sent letters to county officials in L.A., Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties asking them to set aside specific mail ballots or verify citizenship status of listed individuals. State attorneys argued the federal government used unreliable data and that segregating ballots would disenfranchise voters.
Local Politics
Election officials in multiple California counties reviewed federal lists of alleged noncitizen voters and found them inaccurate, illegible, or incomplete. Butte County Clerk-Recorder Keaton Denlay said 32 of 47 names on the list were not on active voter rolls, while San Benito County Registrar Francisco Diaz reported some listed individuals weren't registered to vote. Orange County received a letter naming 1,754 alleged noncitizens but was initially addressed to the wrong office. A federal judge appeared skeptical of the administration's legal arguments in court Tuesday, and state officials have refused to segregate ballots based on the lists.
