Election officials in Los Angeles County and across the state were being asked Wednesday to provide proof of citizenship for voters the federal government has flagged as being possible non-citizens before they are permitted to cast a ballot in the upcoming election.
But local authorities appear unlikely to comply.
Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Trent McCotter sent demand letters Tuesday to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office, the California Secretary or State’s Office and other election officials in the state. The letters, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, ask that the election officials provide proof of citizenship for the flagged voters within 48 hours.
McCotter’s letter to Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan was accompanied by a “password-protected thumb drive” with a list of names the government “believes are non-citizens who were sent a vote-by-mail ballot” for the Nov. 3 election. It was unclear how many names are on the list, however, the DOJ indicated that it has identified thousands of possible non-citizens who are registered to vote across California.
“We request that you review the list within 48 hours to determine whether any citizens are listed,” according to the letter. “For individuals whom you cannot independently confirm citizenship status, we request that you immediately instruct the appropriate elections officials to segregate — not cancel — those individuals’ vote-by-mail ballots until their citizenship status can be determined.”
Logan said Wednesday his office was consulting with the Secretary of State and state Attorney General’s Office “to determine the next appropriate steps” in response to the DOJ request. He said his office has not yet accessed the thumb drive “because doing so would conflict with established data privacy and information security protocols.”
He said the thumb drive came with “a handwritten note providing a password.”
“We do not consider the device a secure medium,” Logan said in a statement. “Additionally, the letter does not specify the number of individuals involved or describe the information contained in the records.
“Maintaining accurate voter registration records is a fundamental responsibility of our office,” he said. “Federal and state laws are clear on how voter eligibility is established — and any action to remove a voter from eligibility must be based on verifiable information, not assertions of unconfirmed data matching.
“With the 2026 General Election underway, we remain focused on administering a safe, secure, accurate, and transparent election. We will continue following established legal requirements and verification procedures while protecting the rights of every eligible voter.”
Secretary of State Shirley Weber issued a statement saying the federal government’s “relentless efforts to unlawfully gain access to states’ protected voter data and purge voter rolls serve only to cause chaos and fuel public distrust in our elections.”
“California has robust state law requirements that only U.S. citizens can register to vote and that any non-eligible registrants are removed from the state’s voter rolls,” she said. “My office and California election officials remain committed — as always — to ensuring a fair and smooth 2026 General Election.”
According to Weber’s office, federal officials claimed in July that California had 190,000 non-citizens on its voter rolls, but when her office asked for proof of their claims, “they refused and provided California with nothing.”
The Trump administration has long asserted that large numbers of non-citizens were casting ballots in California and elsewhere, although officials have never provided any proof or documentation of such sweeping fraud.
Federal prosecutors — including First Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles Bill Essayli — have announced a variety of criminal cases filed in recent months against individuals suspected of voter fraud. Essayli’s office most recently charged a Honduran national living in Winnetka with fraudulently registering to vote in U.S. elections.
Also last month, a Victorville man was among three people charged with allegedly paying people on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles to sign petitions using identities of registered voters to qualify initiatives for ballots in California elections.
The DOJ issued a statement saying the letters sent to California elections officials “should not be controversial, as the criminal statute is clear: only American citizens may vote in federal elections. It is a federal crime for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections, and the DOJ is asking California to ensure that is not occurring.”
McCotter’s letter to Logan stated, “Allowing non-citizens to vote cancels citizen votes. States are responsible for voter registration, and the federal government is responsible for maintaining immigration records to enable verification of citizenship. Working together, we can more effectively protect against voter dilution and promote election integrity.”
The letter concludes by stating that if Logan’s office does not comply with the request, “the United States will have no choice but to seek emergency relief,” a likely reference to a possible court action.