The U.S. Department of Justice has threatened emergency legal action against California election officials unless they review a list of potentially ineligible voters and segregate their ballots within 48 hours. Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter sent letters on Tuesday to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan, setting a deadline of noon Eastern time on Oct. 15 for compliance.
The Justice Department instructed the state and county officials to identify individuals whose citizenship cannot be verified. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a DOJ spokesperson indicated that the number of potential foreign nationals on California's voter rolls extends beyond Los Angeles County to the entire state. The department stated that federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections and that it is a federal crime for noncitizens to cast ballots in U.S. elections. The spokesperson emphasized that the DOJ is asking California to ensure this statute is upheld.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, rejected the federal demands during a Wednesday news conference. He accused the Trump administration of attempting to intimidate voters and promoting false allegations of widespread voter fraud. Bonta dismissed these claims as baseless, describing them as a lie and a conspiracy theory rather than a genuine issue. His office is currently working with the secretary of state and Los Angeles County officials to review their legal options in response to the federal letters.
Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan stated that his office received a password-protected USB drive purportedly containing the voter records but has not accessed the data. Logan cited cybersecurity concerns as the reason for not opening the file, noting that doing so would conflict with established data privacy and information security protocols. He added that the device is not considered a secure medium and that the accompanying letter did not specify the number of individuals involved or describe the information contained in the records.
The dispute arises while Californians are already casting ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Although federal law bans noncitizen voting in federal elections, the Justice Department has not established that the individuals identified on the lists have actually cast illegal ballots.