Lede
A list of 20,000 suspected non-citizens provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to California election officials includes a high percentage of people born in the United States, according to Los Angeles election officials. The revelation came in court papers and intensifies concerns about the accuracy of the non-citizens list used to challenge voter eligibility.
California election officials have so far refused to act on the non-citizens list, prompting the Department of Justice to file a lawsuit. The dispute centers on whether local officials must segregate ballots from anyone named on the list unless they can verify citizenship.
KEY FACTS
- Non-citizens list: The justice department sent a list of 20,000 suspected non-citizens to California.
- Born in US: LA officials say a high percentage were born in the United States.
- Court filing: The statement was made in court papers.
- 48-hour deadline: Officials were given 48 hours to segregate ballots from the listed individuals.
- DOJ lawsuit: The Department of Justice sued after California refused to comply.
The Story
What happens next?
The Department of Justice sued California officials on Thursday after state and county officials declined to follow the 48-hour deadline tied to the non-citizens list. The lawsuit signals a direct legal confrontation between federal and state authorities over how to handle flagged voter registrations.
Election law experts note that federal agencies do not typically have the authority to compel local election officials to discard ballots based solely on unverified lists. The legal battle may end up in federal court, where judges will weigh the balance between election security and due process rights for voters named on the list.
Who is affected?
Anyone appearing on the non-citizens list is potentially affected, including those born in the United States who may have been mistakenly flagged. These individuals could face challenges to their ballot status if election officials move to act on the list without independent verification.
Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/Registrar of Voters Dean Logan previously voiced skepticism about the accuracy of the list. Under California law, citizens born in the United States are automatically considered citizens at birth, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.
WHAT WE KNOW — AND WHAT WE DON’T
Verified by the source:
- The justice department provided a list of 20,000 suspected non-citizens to California officials.
- Los Angeles officials described a high percentage of people on the list as being born in the United States.
- The statement was included in court papers filed in the ongoing lawsuit.
- California officials refused the 48-hour deadline to segregate ballots from listed individuals.
- The Department of Justice sued California officials after the refusal.
Still unconfirmed:
- The exact criteria used by the Department of Justice to compile the list.
- The precise number of people born in the United States on the list.
- The legal outcome or next court dates in the lawsuit.
- Whether any individual ballots were ultimately challenged.
WHY IT MATTERS
This dispute reflects broader national debates over voter eligibility, election integrity, and the rights of citizens born in the United States. How courts resolve the case could influence how voter rolls are managed in future elections.
WHAT TO WATCH
Legal filings in the lawsuit are expected to shed more light on the Department of Justice’s rationale for the list. No court rulings have been announced at this time. For more on voting disputes, see our coverage in [politics] and [war-geopolitics].