Bonta Sues DOJ Over 48-Hour Demand for 20,000 Ballot Checks

Federal prosecutors issued a directive this week requiring California election officials to verify the citizenship status of approximately 20,000 voters within 48 hours, a move Attorney General Rob Bonta called an abuse of federal power.

The Justice Department sent letters to county election officials on Friday, asking them to collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security to check voter records. Bonta stated in a lawsuit that the department acted at the direction of President Donald Trump to attack political opponents. He described the action as improper and part of a wider campaign to police voting rights.

The timeline for the verification process left little room for error. The letters arrived less than two weeks before the midterm election. County staff in Los Angeles reported that a high percentage of the individuals on the list were born in the United States. Some officials did not respond to the initial letters, citing the short window before polls open.

The dispute escalated into a legal battle after state officials failed to complete the requested checks within the mandated window. An appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments on the matter on Tuesday. The court must decide whether the 48-hour deadline is a reasonable standard for local election boards to meet.

The Justice Department defended the request as a necessary step to secure the election. A department statement said it asked county officials to provide information so the Department of Homeland Security could quickly verify citizenship. The department aimed to ensure what it called the most secure election in California history.

The agency recently charged 28 lawful permanent residents with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney, said the arrests proved that California mailed ballots to noncitizens who refused to comply with federal law. The defendants hold legal status in the US but are not eligible to vote.

Bonta questioned the evidence provided by the federal government. He noted that officials received only names without an explanation of why those individuals were allegedly ineligible. He said the state would review the information if the department provided it, but no such data has been shared.

Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the federal effort on social media, calling it an absolute clown show. He said the department included voters who never cast ballots and individuals from the wrong county. Representative Pete Aguilar, who represents south-west San Bernardino county, wrote that voter intimidation has no place in the democracy.