U.S. sues California in fight over checking citizenship of mail voters

Key Points:

• The U.S. Department of Justice sued California to prevent the state from counting mail-in ballots from individuals the DOJ alleges are likely non-citizens until their citizenship status is verified, aiming to stop non-citizens from voting in federal elections.
• California officials, including Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Governor Gavin Newsom, strongly oppose the lawsuit, calling it unfounded, politically motivated, and a violation of federal law that threatens to undermine free and fair elections.
• The DOJ demanded California segregate and verify ballots from a list of alleged non-citizens within 48 hours before the November 3 election, but California officials criticized the DOJ for refusing to provide evidence or methodology behind the list.
• Weber emphasized California’s existing robust voter registration laws that ensure only U.S. citizens can vote and accused the DOJ of creating unnecessary chaos and distrust in elections through its actions.
• The lawsuit represents an escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to challenge state election procedures amid ongoing claims of voter fraud and non-citizen voting, which California officials continue to reject as baseless.