Judge Blocks Trump Administration Subpoena on Voter Rolls

Trump administration targets noncitizen voting

The Trump administration has attempted to force states to provide unredacted voter rolls while seeking to restrict mail-in voting. President Trump claims that American elections are compromised by fraud and illegal voting that favors Democrats, though he has provided no evidence for these assertions.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are prioritizing the identification, prosecution, and removal of noncitizens who vote. These agencies warn that such individuals will face criminal charges and deportation.

The administration has threatened to prosecute election officials who do not reject ballots from individuals the federal government has flagged as likely noncitizens.

States push back against federal voter roll demands

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California to prevent the state from counting mail-in ballots from over 20,000 voters the administration identifies as "likely" noncitizens. California filed a court document describing the federal government's assertion that 20,000 noncitizens are on its voter rolls as "specious".

A federal judge denied the Department of Justice request for an emergency order to stop California from counting the 20,000 ballots in question. A federal appeals panel subsequently supported this ruling.

Separately, the Department of Justice threatened to sue Washington state last week if officials failed to review a list of 400 suspected noncitizen voters within a 24-hour window. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs labeled the list of 400 names as "not reliable" because it included U.S. citizens, unregistered people, and duplicate entries.

Hobbs stated, “Time and time again,” “DHS claims about noncitizen voter registration turn out to be greatly exaggerated or false”.

Analysis reveals errors in federal ineligible voter lists

Washington state officials discovered several errors in a list of voters that the White House had labeled as ineligible.

An analysis by Los Angeles County revealed that many individuals identified by the federal government as likely noncitizen voters were not registered. These individuals had never voted or had self-identified as U.S.-born on their registration forms.

Experts warn of voter intimidation and public distrust

Ben Hovland, a former Election Assistance Commission commissioner fired by Trump, said the administration is creating "a lot of noise, a lot of confusion, a lot of doubt" to discourage voters from participating.

Trepel expressed concern that the DOJ might attempt to seize ballots from voters flagged as likely noncitizens, an action that could threaten votes and damage public trust.

Voting rights advocates are concerned that government efforts to target noncitizen voters may frighten eligible voters into not participating in elections.

A federal judge restricted a Department of Homeland Security multistate program that conducted door-to-door searches for suspected noncitizen voters. The court ruled that the activity was illegally intimidating legal voters through at least Election Day.

Polling place incidents spark local and federal friction

Mark Earley, the supervisor of elections for Leon County, Florida, reported he was "furious" after two marked U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicles appeared at a busy early voting location last month. The FBI told Earley that the agents in those vehicles were traveling out of state and stopped at the location to cast their own votes.

Wyoming’s governor criticized Department of Justice monitors during the state’s primary election, calling them "a bit aggressive" and "irregular" for their inquiries into poll worker training and voting system inspections.

DOJ continues to evaluate further action against states

The Department of Justice told ProPublica it has a duty to enforce federal law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections. U.S.

Republican poll-watching efforts focus on voter eligibility and roll accuracy, while Democratic efforts center on addressing voter intimidation and other voting hurdles. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown is leading a group of Democratic officials and advocates in "war-gaming" potential responses to federal interference with voting equipment or ballots.