DOJ drops bid to force California to set aside ballots from alleged noncitizens

Key Points:

• The U.S. Department of Justice has moved to dismiss its lawsuit aimed at preventing California from counting about 20,000 ballots alleged to be from noncitizens, citing the impracticality of separating these ballots after they have been mixed with lawful ones.
• The lawsuit was part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to challenge state-run elections over claims of illegal voting, though no evidence was provided to support these claims.
• California officials and a federal judge criticized the DOJ's list of suspected noncitizen voters as outdated and inaccurate, with the judge warning that attempting to separate ballots at this stage could disenfranchise legitimate voters.
• The DOJ continues to face related litigation over its use of the noncitizen voter list and recently had a separate election-related lawsuit in Alaska dismissed, with an appeal pending.
• California has arrested over 30 noncitizens accused of illegal voter registration and voting, while grand jury subpoenas have been issued to election clerks, though it remains unclear who is being criminally charged.