The Trump administration has placed California on a 48-hour clock — demanding a review of suspected noncitizen voters or a showdown in court before the midterm elections.
The Justice Department’s ultimatum came in letters Tuesday to Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Dean Logan, the registrar-recorder/county clerk for Los Angeles County. Reuters was first to report on the letters.
Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter wrote that federal officials supplied Los Angeles County with a password-protected thumb drive identifying people they believe are likely noncitizens who were sent mail-in ballots.
Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter
The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.
Thanks for signing up!
President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has given California 48 hours to act. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
The DOJ’s ultimatum came in letters Tuesday to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed to the California Post that letters were sent to Weber and Logan demanding immediate action to ensure that noncitizens who received ballots do not vote in the upcoming federal election.
“This should not be controversial, as the criminal statute is clear: only American citizens may vote in federal elections. It is a federal crime for noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections, and the DOJ is asking California to ensure that is not occurring,” officials said.
Logan confirmed in a statement that his office received the letter and a thumb drive, along with a “hand written note providing a password” to access the list of alleged noncitizens on the voter rolls.
He said he did not consider the thumb drive a secure device and hasn’t yet accessed any files. The letter, which Logan made public, does not specify the number of individuals flagged by the federal government.
Logan said his office is working with the secretary of state and attorney general’s offices to decide how to proceed.
“If you cannot implement this process by then, given the ongoing federal election, the United States will have no choice but to seek emergency relief,” McCotter wrote.
The Trump administration has repeatedly portrayed voter fraud and noncitizen voting as widespread. Pedro Colo for CA Post
Acting Deputy AG Trent McCotter instructed officials to hold the questioned ballots while citizenship checks play out. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock
A separate letter delivered to Logan came with the password-protected thumb drive listing suspected noncitizens who federal officials say were sent mail-in ballots.
McCotter demanded a review within 48 hours and instructed officials to hold the questioned ballots while citizenship checks play out.
“For individuals whom you cannot independently confirm citizenship status, we request that you immediately instruct the appropriate elections official to segregate — not cancel — those individuals’ vote-by-mail ballots until their citizenship status can be determined,” he wrote.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom meets reporters outside United Nations Headquarters in New York. Kyle Mazza/CNP/INSTARimages
An investigation found software glitches and clerical mistakes may have put noncitizens on voter rolls nationwide. Brennan Smart for CA Post
“Only American citizens may vote in federal elections,” DOJ officials said. Andy Johnstone for NewYorkPost
Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) called the letters “the latest example of why we need to pass Proposition 39, a bipartisan solution to voter ID.”
“You wouldn’t have to worry about the feds coming in with a demand letter and you wouldn’t have to worry about Californians feeling as though it was unfairly targeted by an administration if we just did best practices in citizen verification,” he told The Post.
“So, let’s just do the right thing and end the political infighting we see around these issues.”
Corrin Rankin, chairwoman of the California Republican Party, said the Justice Department’s letters raise “serious questions about suspected noncitizens receiving ballots in California,” and she called for an “immediate” response from state officials.
“Only legal voters should receive ballots and only legal votes should be counted,” Rankin said in a statement to The Post. “Every Californian deserves confidence in our elections. This is exactly the issue Prop. 39 seeks to address. It would establish stronger voter identification requirements and require public reporting on citizenship verification.”
Rankin added: “We need clear rules, accurate voter rolls, and safeguards that protect every eligible voter. Election integrity should never be a partisan issue.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta blasted the letter Wednesday, accusing President Donald Trump of peddling “absolutely false conspiracy theories that there is widespread voter fraud when there is not.”
Officials for the Secretary of State and Governor’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
The Trump administration has repeatedly portrayed voter fraud and noncitizen voting as widespread, despite studies showing it is rare.
A Reuters investigation found that software glitches and clerical mistakes may have put more than 30,000 noncitizens on voter rolls nationwide since 2000, though it was unclear how many actually voted.
Federal prosecutors, meanwhile, announced 16 new criminal cases Monday involving alleged noncitizen voting or fraudulent registrations.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!