The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against California, alleging that over 20,000 noncitizens are unlawfully registered to vote in the state.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Thursday. The federal government alleges that more than 20,000 noncitizens are unlawfully registered to vote and may have received mail-in ballots for the upcoming midterm elections. The legal action follows a demand from the Justice Department for state officials to review a list of suspected noncitizens and segregate their ballots.

Federal Demands and State Response

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter sent letters to California officials and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk earlier this week, providing a password-protected thumb drive containing a list of names the federal government identified as likely noncitizens. The Justice Department demanded that the state verify the citizenship status of these individuals within 48 hours and withhold ballots from those who could not be verified. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber stated that the Justice Department failed to provide evidence or methodology for its claims. Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan declined to review the thumb drive, citing security concerns and stating that the device was not a secure medium.

Legal Claims and Allegations

In the lawsuit, the Justice Department accuses California of failing to cooperate in identifying noncitizens on voter rolls. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the state’s actions undermine confidence in the electoral system. The federal government is seeking an injunction to prevent the tabulation of mail-in ballots from individuals identified on the list until their citizenship status can be determined. Secretary of State Weber noted that the Department of Homeland Security previously claimed there were 190,000 noncitizens on California's voter rolls during the summer but did not provide supporting data. She maintained that California law requires that only U.S. citizens register to vote and that ineligible individuals are removed from the rolls.