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Ninth Circuit orders California to respond to DOJ noncitizen ballot plea
Fox News • • nation
Key Points:
- A federal appeals court ordered California to respond by noon Saturday to the DOJ's emergency request concerning about 20,000 mail-in ballots sent to suspected noncitizens ahead of the midterm elections.
- The DOJ seeks to have California election officials set aside these ballots during eligibility review, arguing that processing them risks disenfranchising legitimate U.S. voters.
- California officials rejected the DOJ's demands, citing lack of authority and access to federal records to verify citizenship, and noted that many ballots have already been processed and separated from identifying envelopes.
- A hearing before U.S. District Judge David Carter is scheduled for Tuesday, but the appeals court's order accelerates the timeline for California's response.
- The dispute highlights tensions between federal investigators alleging inadequate safeguards against noncitizen voting and California officials defending the integrity of their election procedures.
