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Ongoing2 earlier updates2 days

This story has run 3 times over 2 days, starting Oct 15.

  1. Justice Department orders California to check citizenship of an undisclosed list of mail voters and hold their ballots by noon Thursday, Oct. 15
  2. UpdateJustice Department sues California and Los Angeles County to hold uncounted the mail ballots of about 20,000 people it calls likely noncitizens
  3. UpdateDOJ warns California officials who count suspected noncitizens' ballots they risk federal prosecution — this issue
PBS NEWSHOURUpdate

DOJ warns California officials who count suspected noncitizens' ballots they risk federal prosecution

Political Guyentist · October 17, 20261 min read

PBS NEWSHOUR

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter wrote to L.A. County Counsel, copying Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Registrar Dean Logan, that anyone who "knowingly" counts ballots from voters federal agencies flag as noncitizens risks "becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime."

Catch upwhat happened before · 2 earlier issues

The Justice Department gave Los Angeles County 48 hours, to noon Thursday, Oct. 15, to check the citizenship of an undisclosed list of mail voters and hold their ballots, without saying how it built the list. When the deadline passed, DOJ sued California and the county on Oct. 15 to keep about 20,000 of those ballots uncounted.

  • About 20,000 voters' ballots are the ones DOJ wants held until their citizenship is confirmed.
  • Federal law restricts systematic voter-roll maintenance within 90 days of a federal election; the Nov. 3 election is 18 days away.
  • California says the department's method for identifying noncitizens is sloppy.
1 earlier issue

What we’re less sure of2 of 7 claims