Justice Dept. sues California, seeks to stop state from counting 20,000 ballots

Key Points:

• The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against California seeking to block the counting of ballots from about 20,000 voters alleged to be "likely noncitizens," citing a federal investigation involving USCIS and Homeland Security data.
• California officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber, condemned the lawsuit as meritless, politically motivated, and based on unreliable data, emphasizing that courts have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
• The lawsuit demands a federal court injunction to prevent California from counting these ballots until citizenship status is verified, arguing that the state is obstructing federal election law enforcement.
• California election officials and civil rights groups have challenged the administration’s actions in court, highlighting past instances where similar federal claims were proven inaccurate and warning against voter disenfranchisement ahead of the midterms.
• Democratic senators criticized the Justice Department’s last-minute demands as disruptive and unfounded, urging focus on secure elections rather than controversial challenges that could undermine voter confidence.