California Refuses to Audit 20,000 Ballots in 48 Hours

A legal fight erupted between California and the federal government over a demand to review 20,000 ballots in just two days. The deadline expires less than two weeks before the midterm elections. Attorney General Rob Bonta called the move an improper attack on the state.

Bonta accused the Department of Justice of acting under President Donald Trump's direction. He told MS Now that the department was "politicizing and weaponizing the law to attack its enemies." The federal prosecutors asked election officials to verify a list of suspected noncitizen voters within 48 hours. The Justice Department framed the request as a method to secure the vote.

State election personnel warn that the rapid timeline could remove eligible citizens from the rolls. Los Angeles officials stated that a high percentage of the people named were born in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the effort on social media, calling it an "Absolute clown show." He claimed the department sent counties lists of people who never voted or voters from the wrong county.

Representative Pete Aguilar, who represents south-west San Bernardino County, described the situation as voter intimidation. He wrote that such tactics have no place in the democracy. The Justice Department, however, insisted it was seeking cooperation from county officials. A statement from the department said it wanted DHS to quickly verify citizenship status to ensure the most secure election in California history.

Bonta has questioned the evidence behind the federal list. He noted that officials received only names without an explanation for why those individuals were ineligible. Bonta said, "If they have such information, we would be happy to review it, but they've provided none." The department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote.

Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests proved California was mailing ballots to noncitizens. He noted that the defendants are lawful permanent residents with legal status in the US but are not citizens eligible to vote. Essayli stated that noncitizens voting is a crime and the state is refusing to comply with federal law.

Some state officials did not act on the letters sent Friday, citing the approaching election. This inaction triggered the current legal dispute. An appeals court is scheduled to hear the matter on Tuesday.