Full Breakdown
DOJ Presses California to Segregate Mail-In Ballots Linked to “Likely Noncitizens”
By Drooid · · How we work
DOJ Seeks Segregation of Mail-In Ballots Tied to “Likely Noncitizens”
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an emergency motion asking a federal court to order California to separate mail-in ballots cast by roughly 20,000 voters the agency labels “likely noncitizens.” Acting assistant attorney general Trent McCotter told the court the request is limited to ballot segregation so citizenship can be verified. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has refused, arguing the list arrived too late for verification before the November 3 election and that segregation would violate federal voting-rights protections.
Background and Context
The DOJ’s action is part of “Operation Protect the Vote,” a federal effort to prosecute alleged illegal voting in California’s 2020, 2022 and 2024 general elections. The department has charged 28 lawful permanent residents—11 arrested—with election- and immigration-related offenses. It says the 20,000-person list is the “floor” of its investigation, with an additional 17,000 records flagged for future review.
Data and Statistics
- The DOJ’s list contains about 20,000 names.
- 7,035 of those names have addresses in Los Angeles County; some entries are duplicates.
- Los Angeles County officials sampled 200 names:
- NPR’s filing reported 38.9 % U.S.-born; a county report cited 25.8 %.
- The sample showed 112 registrations canceled or inactive, and roughly 70 % had no voting history.
- DOJ filings allege 25–27 illegal votes across three elections, representing 0.00006 % of the 45,071,805 ballots cast in California during that period.
Official Statements & Responses
- McCotter acknowledged the list may contain some citizens.
- Shirley Weber said the DOJ failed to provide the list early enough for verification and warned that segregation would breach federal voting-rights statutes.
- Dean Logan, Los Angeles County Registrar, noted many of the 20,000 names are duplicates and that the county’s review is ongoing.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- U.S.-born percentage: NPR reports 38.9 %, while a county filing cites 25.8 % for the same sample. Both describe the list as “preliminary” and “unreliable.”
- Voting history: Sources differ slightly, reporting “around 70 %” versus “more than 71 %” with no voting history.
- The DOJ has not disclosed the methodology used to generate the list, and the status of the additional 17,000-plus records remains unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
What’s Next
The court will consider the DOJ’s emergency motion before the November 3 election. California maintains it cannot meet the DOJ’s verification timeline, and the dispute over ballot segregation is expected to continue through the upcoming election cycle.