U.S. Department of Justice requests ballots from non-citizen voters ahead of next Tuesday’s election

The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to every county in California ordering election officials to find ballots from non-citizens and separate them from the voter rolls.

Officials have pushed back on the effort, stating that it is a flagrant attempt by Trump to raise suspicion about the election process.

“As we’ve expected, the Trump Administration is using every tool it can to cast doubt on our democratic process—at the direction of a president who continues to deny the results of the election he lost,” Capps told the News-Press.

“Santa Barbara County administers its elections under California law. Our professional Elections Division has a long record of conducting secure, accurate, and transparent elections, and those decisions should not be driven by political pressure from the White House,” Capps said.

“I urge our Elections Division to continue following the law and ensuring that every eligible voter in Santa Barbara County can cast a ballot and have it counted.”

The News-Press did not hear back from the Santa Barbara County Elections Office over the weekend for comment on whether they plan to respond.

According to a news article in Reuters, counties were given 48 hours to help determine the citizenship status of individuals on federal government lists. The article states that counties that process ballots from people identified as noncitizens would face “significant federal scrutiny and legal exposure.”

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