The Trump administration\u2019s Department of Justice late last week gave Fresno County elections officials just 48 hours \u2013 until Sunday morning \u2013 to start identifying non-citizens on voter rolls, the latest escalation in a battle the federal government has waged<\/a> against local governments over the ongoing midterm elections.<\/p>\n Every California county elections official has received the letter, The New York Times reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The letter, signed by Eric Grant, US Attorney for the Eastern District of California, and delivered to James Kus, Fresno County\u2019s Registrar of Voters and County Clerk on Friday morning, provides a list of 670 registered voters who federal officials suspect may not be U.S. citizens, and demands that county officials commit to providing personal information about each individual on the list to verify their status, from Social Security numbers to driver’s licenses to their voter registration applications, within 48 hours.<\/p>\n They also ask that the county \u201csegregate\u201d ballots from these individuals from the rest of the ballots coming in until their citizenship status can be confirmed.<\/p>\n The letter suggests that election officials who don\u2019t cooperate with the demand will be subject to criminal prosecution for \u201caiding and abetting\u201d a federal crime.<\/p>\n Kus confirmed to Fresnoland on Friday evening that he received the letter but wouldn\u2019t say whether Fresno County will cooperate with federal officials, but noted the existing laws and procedures for removing voters for fraud.<\/p>\n \u201cMaintaining accurate voter registration records is a fundamental responsibility of our office. Federal and state laws are clear on how voter eligibility is established \u2013 and any action to remove a voter from eligibility must be based on verifiable information, not assertions of unconfirmed data matching,\u201d Kus told Fresnoland in an email.<\/p>\n Election officials in Los Angeles County have already told<\/a> the DOJ that they don\u2019t plan to cooperate and share voter information with federal officials.<\/p>\n Dean Logan, Los Angeles County\u2019s elections registrar, reportedly called the letters a \u201cposture of intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past several months, Trump Administration officials have been increasingly loud in their claims that non-citizens voting in elections is widespread, despite little evidence of voter fraud in general, let alone widespread cases.<\/p>\n In July, federal officials claimed there were over 16,000 non-citizens on Nevada\u2019s voter rolls. Then it was whittled down to 185. In September, Nevada officials reported back to the Trump Administration that, of that short list, everyone was confirmed to be a U.S. citizen<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200b<\/p>\n Lisa Bryant, a professor of political science at Fresno State who specializes in election administration, raised concerns about the way federal officials are using data to decide whether someone is a citizen.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are laying the groundwork to potentially have the legal grounds to challenge the results of the election and to say that they need to seize ballots because they believe that the votes were not accurate,\u201d Bryant told Fresnoland.<\/p>\n In last week\u2019s lawsuit against California, the Trump Administration claimed that over 20,000 non-citizens were identified in the state\u2019s voter rolls.<\/p>\n