DOJ charges 28 in California with voting crimes as election tensions escalate

NPR and The Independent report that federal prosecutors have charged 28 green card holders in California with election crimes, while the Justice Department asks a court to stop the state from counting ballots from some 20,000 people it calls suspected noncitizens. Election experts and local officials worry the confrontation foreshadows efforts to undermine this fall's midterm results.

The Independent adds that the cases fall under "Operation Protect the Vote," that eleven defendants have been arrested, and that the maximum penalty is five years. One defendant, Omar Alexander Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national in Commerce, is accused of claiming citizenship to register in 2019 and then voting in 2020, 2022 and 2024. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said 113 people have been charged nationwide, against 13 such cases under former President Joe Biden.

NPR notes that some defendants appear never to have voted, and that California says Washington has not explained how it identified the 20,000. UCLA's Rick Hasen called the charges few next to California's more than 20 million registered voters. U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian said, "We don't care who you vote for." None of the allegations has been proven in court.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NPR and The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at NPR → Also at The Independent →