DOJ moves to drop its lawsuit asking California to set aside alleged noncitizen ballots

Key Points:

• The Justice Department has moved to dismiss its lawsuit aimed at stopping California from counting about 20,000 ballots allegedly cast by noncitizens, citing that the ballots have already been mixed with lawful ones, making separation impossible.
• This dismissal comes shortly after the midterm elections and just before a hearing where a special master was to assess the accuracy of the noncitizen voter list, which California officials and the presiding judge have criticized as outdated and flawed.
• The lawsuit was part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to challenge state election processes over claims of illegal voting, though these claims lacked substantial evidence and faced judicial setbacks, including a Supreme Court refusal to intervene.
• California has processed millions of ballots with many still to be counted, while state prosecutors have arrested over 30 noncitizens accused of illegal voter registration and voting, with grand jury subpoenas issued to election clerks ahead of further investigations.
• U.S. District Judge David O. Carter had previously ruled against separating ballots late in the process, emphasizing the risk of disenfranchising legitimate voters and the potential disruption to the election.