Federal officials charge 28 in California noncitizen voting case

Key Points:

• Federal authorities charged 28 California residents, all lawful permanent residents but not U.S. citizens, with illegally registering to vote or casting ballots in federal elections, intensifying the conflict between California and the Trump administration ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.
• Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter claimed these arrests demonstrate corruption in California’s voter rolls and criticized state officials for resisting efforts to purge ineligible voters, warning that ignoring such issues undermines election integrity.
• California officials and election experts maintain that voter fraud is rare and argue that efforts to purge voter rolls close to an election risk disenfranchising legitimate voters and violate federal law.
• The Justice Department has demanded that California and Los Angeles County set aside about 20,000 ballots flagged as likely cast by noncitizens, leading to legal battles after state officials refused to comply without proof of ineligibility.
• Federal prosecutors emphasized that the operation, dubbed “Operation Protect the Vote,” will continue through and beyond the election, asserting that California’s voter verification processes are inadequate and that noncitizens are currently voting in the state.