Trump Seeks Supreme Court Help in California Ballot Dispute

WHO:

CNN - President Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court to intervene in a California ballot dispute.

CNN - The Trump administration and the Justice Department (DOJ) sought to have California set aside ballots associated with people the administration says may be noncitizens.

CNN - US Solicitor General D. John Sauer made the administration’s argument to the Supreme Court.

CNN - California and voting rights groups opposed the request, citing uncertain evidence, the risk of disenfranchising citizens, and a lack of federal authority to direct state election officials.

CNN - The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals issued its 2-1 decision through US Circuit Judges Mark Bennett, a Trump nominee, and Gabriel Sanchez, appointed by Joe Biden. Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump nominee, dissented.

CBS News Politics - The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to intervene in its effort concerning California mail ballots.

Newsweek - The Trump administration said ballots could belong to noncitizens attempting to vote illegally in a federal election.

WHAT:

CNN - The administration asked the Supreme Court to require California to set aside potentially thousands of ballots and verify the citizenship of people linked to them before counting.

CNN - DOJ said it identified about 20,000 people on California’s voter rolls who may be noncitizens. It argued the federal government has a constitutional interest in limiting voting to citizens and that California’s failure to investigate frustrates enforcement of federal law banning noncitizen voting.

CNN - The 9th Circuit barred the administration from intervening in California’s mail-ballot counting, ruling that the federal government cannot dictate how states run elections.

CNN - Sauer argued, “Once California commingles the challenged ballots with lawful ones, there is no way to get the challenged ballots back.” Bumatay described the requested relief as a “modest remedy.”

CNN - The appeals court said evidence of noncitizen voting was uncertain and warned that granting the request risked disenfranchisement.

CBS News Politics - The administration sought to set aside mail ballots from thousands of people it claims are not U.S. citizens.

Newsweek - The administration characterized the approximately 20,000 ballots as potentially belonging to noncitizens trying to vote illegally.

WHERE:

CNN - The dispute concerns California’s voter rolls and mail-in ballot counting, with the Supreme Court considering the administration’s appeal.

WHY:

CNN - The administration said setting aside the ballots was necessary to protect federal elections and enforce the federal criminal law prohibiting noncitizen voting.

CNN - California and voting rights groups argued that the claims could be based on unreliable evidence and that the requested action could disenfranchise eligible citizens.

HOW:

CNN - The administration asked state officials to set aside ballots associated with flagged voters and verify their citizenship before counting them.

CNN - The appeals court cited the “Purcell principle,” under which federal courts have been warned against changing election rules at the last minute. It said the federal government should take proposals for different mail-ballot procedures to Congress rather than the courts.

(UPDATED November 2, 2026 19:02 UTC)

President Trump asked the Supreme Court to block California from counting flagged mail ballots. His administration says some voters may be noncitizens and wants citizenship checks. California and voting rights groups warn uncertain evidence could disenfranchise citizens.