Midterm Election Dispute: Justice Department Targets 405 Washington Voters

The Trump administration has identified 1,500 votes cast in previous elections by 405 people it believes are registered in Washington state without US citizenship. On Monday, the Justice Department sent a letter to Secretary of State Steve Hobbs asking the state to set aside any ballots these individuals submit in next month's midterm elections. The request aims to pause those votes until officials can verify the voters' legal eligibility.

Washington mails a ballot to every one of its more than 5 million registered voters. Acting US attorney Charles Neil Floyd, speaking at a news conference in Seattle, described the 405 names as the tip of the iceberg. He stated that federal investigators had only uncovered a fraction of the total because the state limited the scope of the investigation. Floyd noted that much of the list was compiled from recent contacts with suspected noncitizens, as federal officers now routinely check voter registration status during encounters.

The department is demanding specific details from the state, including addresses, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and partial social security numbers. Floyd added that proving illegal voting will be difficult without access to these state records. This action marks the third direct challenge the Justice Department has brought against a state this month while voting is under way. California and Alaska are the other two states involved, and all three have House or Senate races that will help decide the balance of power in Congress.

Hobbs said his office is reviewing the request. His team noted that the data supplied by the department includes the date each of the 405 people last voted, with one vote cast as far back as 1994. Hobbs criticized the timing of the demand, which arrived one week before the general election. He stated that the move is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results.

In a related case in California, the Justice Department sued to require the state to set aside mail ballots from up to 20,000 people suspected of not being citizens. A panel of federal appellate judges heard arguments on Sunday and questioned the timing and constitutionality of the demand. On Monday, the panel declined to rule on the expedited timeline and sent the matter back to a lower court. In Alaska, a separate lawsuit filed last week seeks to delay the certification of the vote if the Republican incumbent does not win.

Monica Flores, assistant registrar-recorder for Los Angeles County, said her staff reviewed a sample of 200 records from the administration's list in a court filing. The sample included canceled or inactive registrations, people with no voting history, and voters who appeared to have been born in the United States. California Attorney General Rob Bonta vowed to fight back against the administration's unlawful overreach at every turn.

Washington's third congressional district is among the most competitive in the country. Democrats are counting on congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who has won the seat twice, to hold it as part of their plan to retake the House majority. The district has also backed the president each time he has been on the ballot. The Justice Department told Washington state it expects to send another list of suspected noncitizens before election day, acknowledging that some of those people may have since become naturalized.