Story perspectives

Justice Department Charges 28 California Green-Card Holders for Fraud

By Drooid · Oct 20, 2026, 11:58 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Justice Department charged 28 California green-card holders with illegal voting and registration fraud.
The department provided a thumb drive listing over 20,000 likely noncitizens and ordered their mail-in ballots set aside.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Registrar Dean Logan refused, saying the list lacked evidence and exceeded authority.
Governor Gavin Newsom called the lawsuit unlawful voter suppression, affecting about 0.0001% of registrants.

History

Historical Context

After the Voting Rights Act of 1965 tackled racial discrimination, Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act in 1993, which took effect on Jan. 1 1995 and required uniform registration and safeguards. The Supreme Court’s 2013 decision in Arizona v. Inter-Tribal Council affirmed those safeguards. The Justice Department’s 2024 suit against green-card holders echoes this push, while 85.4% of voting-age citizens were registered in the 2022 election.

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Story summary

U.S. Justice Department charged 28 California green-card holders with illegal voting and registration fraud.
The department provided a thumb drive listing over 20,000 likely noncitizens and ordered their mail-in ballots set aside.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Registrar Dean Logan refused, saying the list lacked evidence and exceeded authority.
Governor Gavin Newsom called the lawsuit unlawful voter suppression, affecting about 0.0001% of registrants.

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