A California federal judge issued an order directing the Department of Justice to halt its campaign of threatening local and state election officials with criminal prosecution related to their handling of ballots. The ruling specifically addressed the administration’s demands that election officials segregate ballots from voters the Trump administration characterized as likely non-citizens.
The case emerged from actions taken by federal agencies in California, where the Department of Justice sent correspondence to state officials demanding that approximately 20,000 ballots from registered voters be set aside on grounds they were allegedly cast by non-citizens. Subsequently, armed Department of Homeland Security officials delivered letters to county-level officials threatening criminal consequences if they failed to sequester those ballots. Election officials contended they could not comply with such demands due to obligations under state and federal election law requirements.
Judge Trina Thompson determined that the federal government’s actions would “wreak havoc” on the electoral process and likely result in the disenfranchisement of eligible voters, despite the administration’s stated objective of preventing unlawful voting. The ruling followed complaints filed by civil rights organizations and labor unions representing election workers who alleged the federal government was interfering with their election administration responsibilities. Similar demands were reportedly made to Washington state officials regarding the processing of ballots from voters the administration suspected might be non-citizens.
The administration’s efforts reflect a sustained initiative under Trump to address what officials claim is widespread voter fraud. Critics and research organizations point to data showing such fraud remains exceptionally rare, with one analysis identifying fewer than two dozen convictions of non-citizens for voting over a twenty-year period. The ruling came shortly before the 3 November midterm elections, which will determine congressional control during the final portion of Trump’s presidency. The president challenged the judicial decision and pledged to continue efforts aimed at what he characterized as “election integrity.”
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