Sacramento woman appears in court in noncitizen voting case

Key Points:

• Meryll Quirong Costi, a lawful permanent resident in California, was arrested and charged with registering to vote or voting as a noncitizen, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, as part of a broader federal crackdown involving 63 charges nationwide just before the midterm elections.
• The timing of these prosecutions, occurring one day before the elections, has raised concerns and questions about potential political motivations, with Costi’s attorney emphasizing the need to explore the circumstances around the charges.
• These actions are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to support a disputed database at the center of a federal lawsuit aiming to disqualify ballots from about 20,000 alleged noncitizen voters in California, which courts have so far rejected.
• Costi was identified after an immigration interview and subsequent FBI inquiry revealed she had received and returned mail-in ballots in 2022 and 2024, though she does not recall registering to vote; her attorney noted that automatic voter registration via the DMV could explain how she received ballots.
• Released on her own recognizance after her initial court appearance, Costi’s next hearing is scheduled for November 30, while California officials and Democrats criticize the prosecutions as attempts to undermine confidence in the state's elections.