48 Hours to Check 20,000 Ballots Before Midterms

Federal prosecutors in California issued a demand on Friday that local election officials verify the citizenship status of roughly 20,000 ballots within 48 hours. The directive lands less than two weeks before the midterm elections, creating a compressed window for administrative checks that state leaders call unmanageable.

The Department of Justice framed the request as a measure to secure the vote. In a statement, the department said it asked county officials to provide information so the Department of Homeland Security could quickly verify citizenship status. The goal, according to the justice department, is to ensure the most secure election in California history. This action is part of a wider Republican push to crack down on alleged voter fraud involving undocumented immigrants.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta rejected the approach on Saturday. He told MS Now that the department was "politicizing and weaponizing the law to attack its enemies." Bonta stated that the actions appear to be directed by President Donald Trump. He noted that the state was given only names without explanation for why those individuals were supposedly ineligible. Bonta added that if the federal government had supporting information, the state would review it, but that no such data had been provided.

Local election personnel warned that the 48-hour deadline could strip eligible citizens of their voting rights. Officials in Los Angeles said a "high percentage" of the people on the list were born in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the effort on social media, calling it an "Absolute clown show." He claimed the department sent lists containing people who never voted and voters from the wrong county. Congressman Pete Aguilar, representing south-west San Bernardino county, wrote that voter intimidation has no place in the democracy.

The conflict has moved to the courts. Some state officials did not act on the letters sent Friday, citing the rapidly approaching election date. This inaction set off a legal fight with the justice department. An appeals court is scheduled to hear the matter on Tuesday.

In a separate action, the justice department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests proved that California mails ballots to noncitizens who refuse to comply with federal law. The defendants are lawful permanent residents. They hold legal status in the US but are not citizens eligible to vote.