Trump sues California to prevent counting 20,000 voters' ballots
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President Trump arriving at Los Angeles International Airport in August. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Trump administration is suing California and two election officials over claims that there are suspected ineligible voters who received mail-in ballots for this November's election.
Why it matters: The lawsuit is asking the court to prevent about 20,000 voters from having their ballots counted until their citizenship status is confirmed.
What they're saying: "State-facilitated voter fraud is unacceptable in the United States of America," Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a press release statement.
- "If found responsible in a court of law, the State of California will have seriously undermined confidence in our electoral system and violated laws that protect our nation's representative system of government," Blanche said.
Zoom in: The Justice Department alleges that California is knowingly allowing noncitizens to vote in the federal elections, according to the lawsuit.
- The lawsuit says U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and ICE's investigative arm compiled the list of potentially ineligible voters using agency data and records from the Social Security Administration and State Department.
- But administration-created lists of potential noncitizens on the voter rolls have been found less than accurate before in Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Zoom out: California's top election official and Los Angeles County's election chief received letters two days ago threatening "emergency action."
- The Justice Department gave Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan a password-protected thumb drive listing more than 20,000 voters and instructed him to verify their citizenship within 48 hours, according to the department's letter and statements.
- "Maintaining accurate voter registration records is a fundamental responsibility of our office. Our response will be grounded in compliance with federal and state voter registration laws and procedures," Logan said in a statement on social media after the initial letter.
Friction point: Federal law restricts systematic voter roll maintenance within 90 days of a federal election — in part to prevent eligible voters from being removed shortly before voting.
- This litigation also follows legal attempts from the federal government to get California's voter rolls, beyond public lists, which have failed in court.
The other side: "This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day," Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a statement.
- "The courts have made clear that the federal government has no role in how a state carries out its election process, and now, in the middle of Californians voting, they have asked local officials — who do a damn good job defending democracy — to violate federal law."
