Some on DOJ's 20,000 "likely" noncitizen list in Calif. appear to be U.S.-born

The Justice Department wants California to set aside ballots tied to about 20,000 registered voters it calls "likely" noncitizens, but an early check by Los Angeles County staff casts doubt on the roster. Court papers filed Tuesday say that in a 200-person sample, 38.9% of those with a meaningfully reported birthplace listed the United States, which assistant registrar Monica Flores called strong evidence of citizenship. She deemed the list unreliable. Of the sampled records, 112 were canceled or inactive, and about 70% showed no voting history, according to NPR.

California says sorting ballots this close to the election is impractical and would probably violate federal and state law, branding the suit a political stunt. Dean Logan, who runs elections in Los Angeles County, counted 7,035 entries local to his jurisdiction, with repeats among them.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter conceded some listed people may turn out to be citizens. Deputy press secretary Kiersten Pels said the state refused to verify citizenship. Prosecutors also filed cases against 28 listed individuals, all lawful permanent residents, including Kamlesh Shah, 68, who told KCRA 3 he believed his Real ID allowed him to vote.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NPR’s reporting. Read the full story at NPR →