Justice Department sues California over alleged noncitizen ballots before midterms

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against California alleging that ballots were sent to thousands of likely noncitizens, as reported by wjdx.iheart.com and wrak.iheart.com. This legal action is part of increased federal scrutiny on state voter rolls ahead of the midterm elections, which are just two weeks away.

Officials from both parties have expressed concern that federal demands for private voter information and other actions might undermine public trust in the election process. Recent surveys indicate that only about half of Americans expect the midterms to be free and fair, according to the same sources.

The Justice Department has given California 48 hours to review a list of possible noncitizens on its voter rolls. Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney Trent McCotter warned that failure to comply could lead to emergency legal action, as stated by Fox News and cited in the reports.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber criticized the federal demands, saying they lack evidence and legal authority. She emphasized that California state laws require only U.S. citizens to register to vote and reaffirmed the state's commitment to ensuring a fair election.

The Trump administration has increased focus on election integrity by scrutinizing state voter rolls. The Supreme Court recently allowed the use of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify voter eligibility, despite previous legal challenges, according to wjdx.iheart.com and wrak.iheart.com.