Local Politics
Federal-State Battle Over California Ballots Ahead of Nov. 3 Election
The U.S. Justice Department sued California to sequester roughly 20,000 ballots from alleged noncitizen voters and charged 28 California legal permanent residents with voter fraud on Oct. 19, arresting 11. A federal judge rejected the ballot-sequestration demand Oct. 28, calling it unprecedented coercion of a state; a federal appeals court upheld that ruling Oct. 30. The dispute also includes subpoenas to California election officials for Nov. 4 grand jury appearances and multiple lawsuits by voting-rights groups challenging federal actions ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election.