Justice Department Seeks Hold on Suspect Ballots in California Counties
WHO:
CBS News - California Sen. Alex Padilla described the effort as an attempt by “Donald Trump and Todd Blanche” to interfere in California elections.
Los Angeles Times - California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office declined to comment on the federal letters.
Los Angeles Times - Los Angeles County election official Dean Logan told county election officials the federal letter misrepresented facts and used an “posture of intimidation.”
Los Angeles Times - Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber said two people with Justice Department credentials delivered a letter demanding her office determine the citizenship of 81 people.
Los Angeles Times - Contra Costa County Registrar Kristin Connelly said the federal threat was “not helpful and is intended to intimidate.”
Alternet - President Trump urged supporters to return mail ballots and vote early, telling voters in Florida and Michigan to vote “FOR THE REPUBLICAN IN EVERY RACE, UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT!”
The Guardian - Seamus Hughes said more than 230 million people were registered to vote in the 2024 presidential election.
The Guardian - The Department of Homeland Security said it was “actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found” and that noncitizens who vote “will face the consequences – including criminal charges and deportation.”
The Guardian - Several people arrested in the California case said they were confused about the allegations: one said he mistakenly thought he could vote, another said she did not remember registering, and another denied voting.
The Guardian - Omar Muñoz said he has lived in the United States for more than 50 years, has 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, and retired in 2019 after working in several fields, including alarm installation and caregiving.
The Guardian - Brennan Center for Justice vice-president for democracy Wendy Weiser called the arrest video part of a “PR campaign” and said it could cause damage and debase the presidency and the Justice Department.
CNN - Los Angeles County Clerk Dean C. Logan said voter eligibility decisions must rely on verifiable information, not unconfirmed data matches.
The Guardian - Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old lawful permanent resident originally from Belize, said he was handcuffed during his arrest despite telling officers he was frail after six surgeries; he denied commenting on the specific allegations while charges were pending.
The Guardian - Muñoz’s daughter, nurse Lliani Orantes, said doctors found apparent spinal-disc misalignment near his recent surgery, full-body trembles, and high blood pressure after his arrest.
The Guardian - Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor and former deputy assistant attorney general, called the Justice Department arrest video “disgusting” and said it served no purpose beyond partisan politics.
The Guardian - Civil rights lawyer and former Justice Department attorney Sergio Perez said the defendants were not accused of violent acts or being flight risks.
KOMO - King County Elections Chief of Staff Kendall Hodson said the agency reported the incident to the U.S. Postal Service for investigation.
KOMO - The U.S. Postal Service said the matter was with its Office of the Inspector General.
CBS News - Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars; the letters were attributed to the Justice Department.
CBS News - First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli warned: “Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy.”
CBS News - California Secretary of State officials and the Los Angeles County registrar opposed the federal demands.
CBS News - Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California said the Justice Department had not provided evidence of “massive voter fraud” and called its data “inaccurate and unreliable.”
NY Post - Essayli said: “Every minute that goes by, American citizen votes are being diluted in the state of California.”
CBS News - Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon sent letters to all 50 states threatening criminal action if they knowingly allowed noncitizens to remain on voter rolls.
WHAT:
Los Angeles Times - The Justice Department sent letters to 57 of California’s 58 counties; Los Angeles County was excluded because it had already received a notice.
Los Angeles Times - Santa Cruz County’s letter identified 81 people whose citizenship the county was asked to determine.
Los Angeles Times - California officials asked the 9th Circuit to dismiss the federal appeal, calling it “as unprecedented as it is meritless.”
The Guardian - Omar Muñoz said he heard officers threaten to break down his door before he opened it; he saw about six law-enforcement vehicles and cameras outside.
The Guardian - Muñoz said he fell twice while being transported, and that restraints around his waist and feet made it difficult to walk and worsened his bone disease and nerve pain.
WHP Harrisburg - The Justice Department notified Pennsylvania that it plans to send election monitors to Philadelphia, Allegheny, Luzerne and Lehigh counties for the November 3 voting day.
WHP Harrisburg - The Pennsylvania Department of State said DOJ monitors have no greater access to polling places than the public and urged coordination with local election offices.
WHP Harrisburg - Pennsylvania law prohibits police officers from being within 100 feet of a polling place, except when voting, serving a warrant or preventing disturbances.
Los Angeles Times - The Justice Department’s letter to Contra Costa County identified 407 people as “likely aliens,” a subset of the broader list, and sought a commitment to work with federal agencies to establish their citizenship.
Los Angeles Times - Logan said the Justice Department had previously obtained individual-level voter data through subpoenas; his office’s initial review found many people on the federal list were U.S.-born, not registered, or had never voted.
Los Angeles Times - California officials asked the 9th Circuit to dismiss the federal appeal, calling it “as unprecedented as it is meritless.”
The Guardian - Omar Muñoz said, “This is about a fight between Trump and the Democrats,” after being released and seeing news coverage of his arrest.
Los Angeles Times - The Justice Department sent letters to 57 of California’s 58 counties; Los Angeles County was excluded because it had already received a notice.
Los Angeles Times - Contra Costa County received a list of 407 suspected noncitizens, described by U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian as a subset of the statewide list.
Los Angeles Times - Dean Logan called the 48-hour deadline “unenforceable” and said the Justice Department was seeking individual-level data similar to information it had previously obtained through subpoenas.
Los Angeles Times - Logan said an initial review of some of the 20,000 people flagged by the Justice Department found many were U.S.-born, not registered, or had never voted.
KOMO - King County Elections said voters who have not received a ballot can call 206-296-8683; people who find ballots in an inappropriate location can email elections@kingcounty.gov or call 206-296-VOTE and, if possible, provide a photo and location details.
The Guardian - Federal authorities charged 28 green card holders in California with allegedly registering to vote unlawfully.
CNN - The Justice Department’s letters directed California county officials to work with the Department of Homeland Security to identify which people on its list were citizens.
CNN - The new letters direct counties to work with the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security to determine which people on the federal list are citizens.
CNN - First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli warned that officials who knowingly tabulate ballots cast by people federal agencies identify as noncitizens risk being “aiders and abettors to a federal crime.”
CNN - A Nevada review found that all 185 people DHS had confirmed through manual review were U.S. citizens; DHS disputes that conclusion.
The Guardian - Muñoz said he was placed in additional waist and foot restraints while awaiting court, which were so tight he could barely walk and worsened his bone disease and nerve pain.
The Guardian - Muñoz said he was released later on the day of his arrest.
CNN - An October 13 letter from Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter included a password-protected thumb drive with names of people the administration believed were likely noncitizens who had been sent ballots.
CNN - The federal request was to temporarily set aside ballots when citizenship could not be confirmed, rather than cancel voter registrations.
CNN - In Alaska, the Trump administration is seeking, under certain circumstances, to block certification of the Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
CNN - Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the department had identified 250,000 people it believed were noncitizens and registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.
CNN - Nevada’s subsequent review found that all 185 people DHS had confirmed through manual review were U.S. citizens; DHS disputes that conclusion.
CNN - DHS had described its initial Nevada finding of 15,900 potentially noncitizen registrants as preliminary and unvetted.
The Guardian - Muñoz said officers handcuffed him, shackled him at the waist and feet, and that he fell twice during transport; he said he was given an apple and candy bar as his only food that day.
The Guardian - The Justice Department posted an edited video of Muñoz’s arrest on X, set to rock music and captioned “OPERATION PROTECT THE VOTE.”
The Guardian - Seamus Hughes said federal authorities had charged 40 people nationwide with voter fraud in recent weeks and about 170 people with illegal voting since Trump’s second term began.
The Guardian - Green card holders are legally in the United States but ineligible to vote; California is among 24 states with automatic voter registration.
The Guardian - Muñoz faces felony charges carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence; defendants charged in California’s eastern district face misdemeanors carrying maximum one-year sentences.
CBS News - The Justice Department said illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens is incredibly rare, difficult to prove, and has not been shown to change election outcomes.
KOMO - Chief of Staff Kendall Hodson said ballots are typically not targeted in mail theft, citing reports from law-enforcement partners and the fact that the ballots were left behind.
KOMO - King County Elections found 92 ballots among two bins of mail in a dumpster at Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park.
KOMO - The ballots were reissued to affected voters.
CBS News - At least 18 California counties received letters demanding identifying information about suspected noncitizen voters within 48 hours and requesting that ballots whose voters’ citizenship could not be verified be sequestered.
CBS News - The Justice Department requested Social Security numbers, identification information, voter-registration copies, and other information.
CBS News - The government’s list included 1,133 people from San Bernardino County.
CBS News - The federal government sued Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office, seeking to block counting ballots from more than 20,000 people it described as “likely” noncitizen voters.
CBS News - Federal authorities charged 28 people from the 20,000-person list with illegally registering to vote; some also faced charges of illegal voting and lying on naturalization paperwork.
CBS News - The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed 31 lawsuits seeking unredacted state voter rolls. It had lost 26 cases and had not won any of them.
WHERE:
The Guardian - Muñoz was arrested at his home in Commerce, California, and transported to a federal building in downtown Los Angeles.
KOMO - The ballots were found in a dumpster at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle.
CBS News - The letters went to county registrars across California; at least 18 counties received them.
CBS News - The lawsuit concerns Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office; the list included voters in San Bernardino County.
WHEN:
CBS News - A hearing in the federal lawsuit over California ballots is scheduled for Tuesday.
WHY:
Alternet - Trump’s encouragement to use mail and early voting contrasts with his earlier claims that mail ballots were fraudulent, including his statements that ballots could be printed by foreign countries and that “Mail ballots, they cheat.”
The Guardian - Wendy Weiser said she was skeptical the administration’s campaign to create a false impression of voter fraud would succeed because of broader awareness of the effort.
CNN - In a court filing, the Justice Department argued that processing ballots without segregating those of suspected ineligible voters caused “untraceable disenfranchisement and dilution” of U.S. citizens’ votes.
The Guardian - Muñoz said he believed the arrest’s manner was intended to make a spectacle of him; he said he had not known why he was detained.
The Guardian - Muñoz is accused of fraudulently registering to vote and making false statements on a citizenship application; a Department of Homeland Security agent alleges he voted several times since 2020.
CBS News - The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said it sought unredacted voter rolls to ensure states maintain clean voter lists.
CBS News - The Justice Department said the letters were intended to identify people it believed had been illegally registered as noncitizens and to verify their ballots.
CBS News - California lawyers argued the demands could delay vote certification, undermine the midterm elections’ legitimacy, and disenfranchise citizens because the federal data was unreliable.
HOW:
WHP Harrisburg - DOJ monitors are to report observed election issues to their team lead; they may not speak to voters inside polling places or carry firearms.
Los Angeles Times - U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian’s letter requested a commitment to identify which of Contra Costa County’s 407 people were citizens and asked for voter-registration and motor-voter records, Social Security numbers, and state ID or driver’s-license information.
Los Angeles Times - The letter to Contra Costa County requested Social Security numbers, state ID or driver’s-license information, voter-registration applications, and documents presented when people registered or obtained licenses through motor-voter registration.
KOMO - Kendall Hodson said King County voters can obtain replacement ballots through other options listed by the county.
The Guardian - The Justice Department’s video of Omar Muñoz’s arrest showed officers escorting him to processing before his first court appearance and used footage of neighbors watching.
The Guardian - The Justice Department arrest video blurred Muñoz’s face and showed neighbors watching as officers escorted him for processing.
KOMO - Kendall Hodson said ballot security checks include verifying voters’ signatures and confirming they have not already returned a ballot.
CBS News - The Justice Department asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on its lawsuit before the district judge decided it, setting a Saturday deadline.
CBS News - California had more than 23 million registered voters receiving mail ballots, and state filings said more than 330,000 mail ballots had been counted.
CBS News - The Civil Rights Division acknowledged that it intended to share voter-roll data with the Department of Homeland Security for screening for noncitizens.
(UPDATED October 25, 2026 02:17 UTC)
The Justice Department has sent election-related letters to 57 of California’s 58 counties, demanding checks on suspected noncitizens and warning officials of possible criminal liability. Santa Cruz was asked to verify 81 people, while Contra Costa received a list of 407; Los Angeles County had already received a notice. County officials say the lists contain errors, and Los Angeles County’s Dean Logan said an initial review found many people were U.S.-born, unregistered, or had never voted. California officials are challenging a federal appeal, while Senator Alex Padilla accused President Trump and Todd Blanche of trying to interfere in state elections. The dispute comes as the Justice Department faces criticism over arrests in a California case, including that of 72-year-old lawful permanent resident Omar Muñoz, who described being restrained and injured. Pennsylvania was also told federal monitors plan to observe voting in four counties on November 3.
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(UPDATED October 25, 2026 01:25 UTC)
The Justice Department is pressing California counties to identify suspected noncitizens on voter lists, sending letters to 57 of the state’s 58 counties and setting a 48-hour deadline. The letters seek cooperation with federal agencies to verify people’s citizenship; Contra Costa County received a list of 407 people labeled likely noncitizens. County officials say the demands rely on unreliable data and could intimidate election workers. Los Angeles County’s Dean Logan said an initial review found many flagged people were U.S.-born, unregistered or had never voted. Federal prosecutors warned officials they could face legal consequences for knowingly processing ballots cast by noncitizens, while California officials are challenging the federal appeal in court. Separately, 28 lawful permanent residents have been charged with allegedly registering unlawfully. One, 72-year-old Omar Muñoz, denied discussing the specific allegations and described being restrained during his arrest. President Trump urged supporters to return mail ballots and vote early.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 21:57 UTC)
The Justice Department has sent letters to 57 California counties demanding they help determine the citizenship of people on federal voter lists, with one county receiving a 48-hour deadline that its registrar called unenforceable. Officials warn that knowingly processing ballots cast by noncitizens could bring legal consequences, while California officials and Senator Alex Padilla say the federal data is unreliable and evidence of widespread fraud has not been provided. The department also charged 28 green card holders with allegedly registering unlawfully. In a separate case, Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old lawful permanent resident, described being restrained during his arrest; he denies discussing the pending allegations. Critics condemned the Justice Department’s edited arrest video as political and potentially damaging. President Trump, meanwhile, urged supporters in Florida and Michigan to return mail ballots and vote early for Republicans.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 20:01 UTC)
Federal authorities have charged 28 California green card holders with allegedly registering to vote unlawfully, while the Justice Department is pressing county officials to check citizenship against federal lists. California officials have resisted, and Senator Alex Padilla says the department has not provided evidence of widespread fraud. A Nevada review found all 185 people DHS manually confirmed were U.S. citizens; the agency disputes that finding. The Justice Department says illegal voting by noncitizens is rare and has not been shown to change election outcomes. One defendant, 72-year-old Omar Muñoz, says officers handcuffed and shackled him despite his health problems; he was released the day of his arrest. Critics condemned a Justice Department video of his arrest as political. Separately, King County Elections found 92 ballots in a Seattle dumpster and reissued them. President Trump urged supporters in Florida and Michigan to vote early and support Republicans across the ballot.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 15:59 UTC)
Federal authorities have charged 28 California green-card holders with allegedly registering to vote unlawfully, while the Justice Department presses counties to identify people on its list and set aside ballots if citizenship cannot be confirmed. At least 18 counties received demands for voter information within 48 hours, and federal officials warned election workers they could face criminal liability for knowingly processing ballots cast by noncitizens. California officials oppose the demands, with Senator Alex Padilla saying the government has provided no evidence of widespread fraud and its data is unreliable. One Nevada review found all 185 people DHS had manually confirmed were U.S. citizens, a conclusion the department disputes. The Justice Department also posted an edited arrest video of Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old lawful permanent resident who denies the allegations; his family says he suffered health problems after being restrained.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 11:58 UTC)
The Justice Department is pressing California counties to identify suspected noncitizens on voter lists and set aside ballots when citizenship cannot be verified. At least 18 counties received demands for personal records, with a 48-hour deadline, while the federal government sued Los Angeles County and state officials over ballots from more than 20,000 people it called likely noncitizens. California officials and Democratic Senator Alex Padilla say the federal data is unreliable and have challenged the demands. In Nevada, a state review found all 185 people DHS had manually confirmed were citizens; the department disputes that finding. Meanwhile, Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old lawful permanent resident, described being handcuffed and restrained during his California arrest, despite health problems. He denies the allegations, which remain pending. The Justice Department posted an edited arrest video, drawing criticism from civil rights advocates.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 10:58 UTC)
The Justice Department is pressing states to identify suspected noncitizen voters, while California officials challenge the effort and its evidence. At least 18 California counties received demands for personal data and for ballots to be set aside when citizenship could not be confirmed. Federal officials say they identified 250,000 suspected noncitizens across four states, but a Nevada review found all 185 people DHS had manually confirmed were citizens; the department disputes that finding. The government is also suing Los Angeles County and California’s secretary of state over more than 20,000 voters it calls likely noncitizens. Separately, 72-year-old lawful permanent resident Omar Muñoz says officers restrained him during an arrest in California, despite his frailty and recent surgeries. The Justice Department posted an arrest video set to rock music, drawing criticism from legal experts. In Seattle, election workers found 92 ballots in a park dumpster and reissued them to voters.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 09:01 UTC)
The Justice Department is pressing California to identify suspected noncitizen voters and set aside ballots whose voters’ citizenship cannot be verified, while state officials say the federal data is unreliable. At least 18 counties received demands for personal information within 48 hours, and the department sued Los Angeles County and the state, seeking to block counting ballots from more than 20,000 people it considers likely noncitizens. Federal officials say the effort protects eligible voters; California’s lawyers warn it could disenfranchise citizens and delay election certification. Nevada’s review found all 185 people DHS manually confirmed were U.S. citizens, though the department disputes that finding. Separately, Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old green card holder charged with voter-related fraud, says officers handcuffed and shackled him during his arrest; his daughter says he suffered medical problems afterward. In Seattle, election workers found 92 ballots in a park dumpster and reissued them to affected voters.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 07:10 UTC)
The Justice Department is pressing California to identify suspected noncitizen voters, demanding records from at least 18 counties and asking officials to set aside ballots whose citizenship cannot be verified. It also sued Los Angeles County and the California secretary of state over more than 20,000 people it describes as likely noncitizens, while state officials say the federal data is unreliable and the demands could disenfranchise voters. The department acknowledges illegal voting by noncitizens is rare and has not been shown to change election outcomes. Separately, 72-year-old lawful permanent resident Omar Muñoz says officers handcuffed and shackled him during an arrest in California, despite his frailty after six surgeries; he faces voter-fraud charges. The department posted edited arrest footage online, drawing criticism from legal experts. In Seattle, election officials found 92 ballots in a park dumpster, reported the incident to the Postal Service, and reissued the ballots to voters.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 06:00 UTC)
The Justice Department is pressing California counties for voter records and threatening legal action over suspected noncitizens on voter rolls, while state officials challenge the demands as unreliable. At least 18 counties received letters seeking identifying details within 48 hours and asking officials to set aside ballots when citizenship could not be verified. Federal prosecutors warned election workers they could face legal jeopardy for knowingly processing noncitizen ballots. The department also sued Los Angeles County and the California secretary of state, seeking to block ballots from more than 20,000 people it describes as likely noncitizens. California officials say the federal data lacks evidence of widespread fraud and could delay certification or disenfranchise voters. Separately, King County Elections found 92 ballots in a Seattle park dumpster; the ballots were reissued, and the agency reported the incident to the Postal Service for investigation.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 05:02 UTC)
The Justice Department is pressing California counties for information about suspected noncitizen voters, while California officials challenge the demands as unreliable and potentially harmful to the election. At least 18 counties received letters seeking Social Security numbers, identification records and registration forms within 48 hours, along with requests to set aside ballots when citizenship could not be verified. The department also sued Los Angeles County and the California secretary of state, seeking to block the counting of ballots from more than 20,000 people it considers likely noncitizens. Federal authorities have charged 28 people from that list with illegally registering to vote. California officials say the data is inaccurate and the requests could delay certification and disenfranchise citizens. Meanwhile, King County Elections found 92 ballots in a dumpster at Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park; the ballots were reissued, and the incident was referred to the Postal Service for investigation.
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(UPDATED October 24, 2026 04:07 UTC)
The Justice Department is demanding California county registrars identify suspected noncitizen voters and set aside ballots whose voters’ citizenship cannot be verified. At least 18 counties received letters seeking personal and voter-registration information, with a 48-hour deadline. The government also sued Los Angeles County and the California secretary of state, seeking to block the counting of ballots from more than 20,000 people it described as likely noncitizens. Federal prosecutors have charged 28 people from that list with illegally registering to vote. California officials oppose the demands, arguing the federal data is unreliable and could delay certification and disenfranchise citizens. Democratic Senator Alex Padilla said the Justice Department had provided no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has also threatened criminal action against states that knowingly keep noncitizens on voter rolls. The department says it plans to share voter data with Homeland Security for screening.