DOJ Gives California 48 Hours on Noncitizen Ballot List
The Facts
- The U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ), in letters sent Tuesday to Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan, has given California 48 hours to review a list of people the federal government believes are likely noncitizens who were sent mail-in ballots.
- Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter wrote that Los Angeles County was given a password-protected thumb drive with the names and asked officials to separate — not cancel — flagged vote-by-mail ballots until citizenship is confirmed.
- The letters warn that the federal government "will have no choice but to seek emergency relief" if the deadline passes. DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels said that the department would take all necessary legal action to protect election integrity.
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The Spin
Republican narrative
Verifying citizenship before counting a ballot is not some radical demand. Every ballot cast by someone ineligible cancels out a citizen's vote, and refusing to even check a list of suspect names says plenty. Clean rolls make elections more trustworthy, and holding a ballot until eligibility is confirmed harms no one who belongs on the roll.
Democratic narrative
Elections belong to the states, and a last-minute federal ultimatum built on a secret list is naked interference in a vote already underway. Past hunts for noncitizen voters have smeared naturalized Americans as suspects, and an unverified database flag is no reason to toss anyone's ballot aside. Chasing a problem this rare mostly serves to cast doubt on results.
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