LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors sent letters Friday to county registrars across California demanding they set aside and verify ballots the Justice Department says may have been cast by noncitizens, the Associated Press reported.
The Los Angeles County registrar’s office said at least 18 counties received similar letters giving them 48 hours to provide identifying information tied to the ballots.
The move escalates a fight between the state and the Trump administration’s Justice Department. Earlier this month, the department sued Los Angeles County and the California secretary of state to block the counting of about 20,000 votes from people it describes as likely noncitizens. A hearing in that case is set for Tuesday, and the administration has also asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rule.
Research shows illegal voting by noncitizens is very rare, hard to prove and has not been shown to change the result of an election.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
Sources: Associated Press via KTAR News, CBS News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Missvain / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
