DOJ demands California counties help identify noncitizen voters

NBC News, PBS NewsHour and MS NOW report that federal prosecutors have told California election officials to set aside ballots from voters the Justice Department suspects are noncitizens, escalating its fight with the state before the midterms. Letters went out Friday with a 48-hour deadline, asking counties to work with the department and DHS to check citizenship and to segregate, not cancel, ballots that cannot be verified. The outlets differ on reach: NBC News says 57 of 58 counties were sent letters, PBS NewsHour cites the Los Angeles County registrar in counting at least 18, and MS NOW quotes department spokesperson Kiersten Pels saying every county was contacted, according to NBC News · Fox News.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli's office listed 1,133 people in San Bernardino County; MS NOW says Contra Costa County received 407 names. Contra Costa Clerk-Recorder Kristin Connelly called the deadline unenforceable. Senator Alex Padilla said the department has offered no evidence of mass fraud. PBS NewsHour adds that 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged this week. A hearing in the lawsuit is Tuesday; the department wants the 9th Circuit to rule sooner.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News · Fox News, PBS NewsHour and MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News · Fox News → Also at PBS NewsHour → Also at MS NOW →