Ballot Audit: California Rejects 48-Hour Federal Deadline

California Attorney General Rob Bonta rejected a federal deadline on Saturday, stating that election officials will not complete a massive ballot verification task within 48 hours. The state is now in a legal standoff with the Department of Justice ahead of the midterm elections.

Federal prosecutors issued a directive on Friday requiring California counties to verify the citizenship status of approximately 20,000 ballots. The Justice Department framed the request as a necessary step to secure the election. It asked county officials to provide specific data to the Department of Homeland Security to quickly confirm voter eligibility.

Bonta criticized the timing and scope of the demand. Speaking to MS Now, he described the federal action as improper. "It is once again the United States Department of Justice politicizing and weaponizing the law to attack its enemies, and it is completely improper," he said. He noted that the request arrived less than two weeks before voters head to the polls.

State election personnel warned that the directive could disenfranchise eligible citizens. Officials in Los Angeles reported that a high percentage of the individuals named on the federal list were born in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom echoed these concerns on social media. He claimed the Justice Department sent counties lists of people who never voted and voters from the wrong county. Newsom called the process an "Absolute clown show!"

The dispute centers on the evidence provided by federal authorities. Bonta stated that officials received only names without an explanation of why those specific voters were deemed ineligible. "If they have such information, we would be happy to review it, but they've provided none," he said. The Justice Department countered that its recent charging of 28 foreign nationals for fraudulently registering to vote proves a systemic issue. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, argued that California is mailing ballots to noncitizens who are then refusing to comply with federal law.

The 28 defendants charged by the federal government are lawful permanent residents. They hold legal status in the United States but do not possess citizenship, which is required to vote. The Justice Department has increased prosecutions of alleged noncitizen voters as the midterms approach. This move aligns with a broader national Republican effort to scrutinize voter eligibility.

An appeals court is scheduled to hear the legal matter on Tuesday. State officials took no action on the letters sent Friday, citing the proximity to election day. That decision triggered the current legal battle between the state and federal prosecutors.