California sues to halt federal demand for two-day ballot check

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a federal lawsuit on Saturday to block a Justice Department order requiring election officials to verify 20,000 ballots within 48 hours. The deadline falls just two weeks before the midterm elections. Bonta accused federal prosecutors of acting on Donald Trump’s direction to attack political opponents.

The state claims the federal government is "politicizing and weaponizing the law." Bonta stated in an interview with MS Now that the Department of Justice is attacking its enemies in a completely improper manner. The Justice Department framed the request as a security measure to ensure the most secure election in California history.

Federal prosecutors asked county officials to provide information so the Department of Homeland Security could quickly verify the citizenship status of individuals on a list. The list ties roughly 20,000 ballots to suspected noncitizens. While noncitizen voting is rare, the Justice Department has increased prosecutions of alleged illegal voters as the election nears.

Los Angeles election officials warned that the rushed deadline could strip eligible citizens of their right to vote. They reported that a high percentage of the people on the list were born in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the effort on social media, calling it an absolute clown show. He said the department invented widespread voter fraud by sending counties lists of people who never voted or voters from the wrong county.

Congressman Pete Aguilar, who represents south-west San Bernardino county, wrote that voter intimidation has no place in the democracy. Bonta questioned the evidence behind the list, noting that officials only received names without an explanation of why those people were ineligible. He said the state would be happy to review the information if the federal government provided it.

The Justice Department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests prove that California is mailing ballots to noncitizens. The defendants are lawful permanent residents who hold legal status in the US but are not citizens. Some state officials did not act on the letters sent Friday, citing the approaching election. An appeals court is scheduled to hear the legal fight on Tuesday.