California’s attorney general Rob Bonta criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to address alleged noncitizen voting, characterizing the justice department’s actions as “politicizing and weaponizing the law.” The federal government had requested that California election officials verify approximately 20,000 ballots belonging to suspected noncitizens within 48 hours, less than two weeks before the midterm elections.
State officials and Democratic leaders raised concerns about the directive’s potential consequences. Los Angeles officials stated that a “high percentage” of individuals on the federal list were born in the United States, suggesting possible errors in the compilation. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the effort on social media, asserting that the list included people who had never voted and voters from wrong counties. Congressman Pete Aguilar characterized the push as voter intimidation. Bonta questioned the evidentiary basis for the suspected noncitizen ballots, stating that federal authorities had provided only a list of names without documentation explaining the grounds for ineligibility.
Federal prosecutors countered that their efforts were necessary to ensure election security. The justice department stated it was asking county election officials to provide information to verify citizenship status. Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney, argued that California had been mailing ballots to noncitizens and refusing to comply with federal law. The department also recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote; those individuals are lawful permanent residents with legal status but not authorized to participate in elections.
The situation prompted legal action, with some state officials declining to comply with the federal directives due to the proximity of the election. An appeals court was scheduled to address the matter shortly after the initial request.
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