Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against California Over Ballot Counting

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against California on October 15, 2026, seeking to prevent the state from counting ballots from approximately 20,000 voters, many in Los Angeles County, whom it claims are likely noncitizens. The lawsuit requests a federal court to bar the counting of these ballots, alleging that the state has failed to verify the citizenship of these voters. California officials have criticized the lawsuit as meritless and based on unreliable data, asserting that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. California Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the federal government has no role in state elections and expressed intent to defend the integrity of California's voting process. California Attorney General Rob Bonta echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that previous counts and audits have found no significant voter fraud in the U.S. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the lawsuit, stating that state-facilitated voter fraud undermines confidence in the electoral system. The lawsuit follows a prior communication from the Department of Homeland Security, which indicated that over 190,000 noncitizens may be registered to vote in California, although this figure was not mentioned in the current lawsuit. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber responded to the lawsuit by highlighting the lack of clarity regarding the basis for suspecting the individuals in question are noncitizens. The lawsuit has drawn criticism from several Democratic senators, who argue that the Justice Department's actions are politically motivated and could disrupt the electoral process ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.