DOJ warns California election officials of prosecution over noncitizen ballots
The Justice Department warned California vote counters Friday that they could face charges if they knowingly count ballots cast by people it calls noncitizens, ABC News and the Washington Examiner reported. Trump posted, "They will all go to jail for a long period of time!!!" Los Angeles County's vote chief said it is "best for this to be addressed in court," the Examiner said.
The Justice Department warned California election officials Friday that counting ballots from people federal agencies have flagged as likely noncitizens could expose them to criminal investigation and prosecution, ABC News and the Washington Examiner reported. "If persons knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified by federal agencies as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime," Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter wrote, according to ABC News.
The letter went to Peter Bollinger of the Los Angeles County counsel's office, with copies to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan, the Examiner reported. It came one day after the department sued California to stop it from counting mail ballots from people on a federal list of 20,000 names until their citizenship is confirmed, The Associated Press reported in a story published by NBC News.
Trump shared the letter on Truth Social and wrote, "They will all go to jail for a long period of time!!!" ABC News reported.
Logan said his office is focused on running a fair and secure election. "The U.S. Department of Justice has chosen to litigate their unverified assertions of voting eligibility. At this point, it is best for this to be addressed in court," he said, according to the AP. Weber has said the federal push will "cause chaos and fuel public distrust in our elections," ABC News reported. The secretary of state has said the administration offered no evidence for its list, the AP reported.
The AP reported that research and state investigations show voting by noncitizens is extremely rare. The department has charged about 90 people with election misconduct this year, including 50 accused of voting as noncitizens, the AP reported. UCLA law professor Rick Hasen said the letter "ups the ante by threatening election officials with potential criminal prosecution," according to the AP. Election Day is Nov. 3.
What we know: The Justice Department has warned California officials they could be prosecuted for counting ballots from suspected noncitizens.
What we don't: Whether any official will be investigated, and how the court will rule on the lawsuit.
Where outlets agree ABC News and the Washington Examiner both report that the Justice Department warned California officials they could be prosecuted for counting ballots from suspected noncitizens.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.