DOJ Presses California Counties on Suspected Noncitizen Ballots and Asks Appeals Court to Act

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday sent letters to California county election officials demanding they set aside and help verify ballots it says may belong to noncitizens, and it asked a federal appeals court to step into its lawsuit over about 20,000 voters. NBC News reported letters went to 57 of the state's 58 counties, while the Los Angeles County registrar said at least 18 had received them. Each gives 48 hours to respond. In a letter to San Bernardino County, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli listed 1,133 people the office calls likely noncitizens and asked that their vote-by-mail ballots be segregated, not canceled, until citizenship is determined. The department sued L.A. County and the Secretary of State on Oct. 15 to block counting ballots from more than 20,000 such voters; a hearing is set for Tuesday. After U.S. District Judge David Carter did not rule by the DOJ's deadline, the department asked the Ninth Circuit to act, and the court ordered California to respond by noon Saturday. L.A. County said it cannot comply because the DOJ has offered no evidence or methodology.

CBS News and NBC News, on the left, lead with the letters as an escalation, giving the county counts, the 1,133 names and Essayli's warning about legal consequences. CBS adds that illegal voting by noncitizens is very rare and has not changed any race's outcome. Fox News, on the right, leads with the Ninth Circuit's order, uses the roughly 20,000 figure, and quotes the DOJ filing by Attorney General Todd Blanche and Essayli calling the situation an emergency that causes disenfranchisement and dilution of votes. Its excerpt does not mention the letters' county reach or the rarity data. Both sides agree on the 48-hour review demand and the set-aside approach. They differ in whether they foreground county pressure and skepticism or the court fight and the DOJ's urgency. Alternative outlets add L.A. County's rebuttal and Blanche's refusal to rule out blocking certification.