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.
According to the Los Angeles Times, 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 ask that the election officials provide proof of citizenship for the flagged voters within 48 hours, The Times reported.
McCotter’s letter indicates that Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan was provided with a 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, according to The Times. It was unclear how many names are on the list.
“We request that you review the list within 48 hours to determine whether any citizens are listed,” according to the letter, which was reviewed by The Times. “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.”
Neither Logan’s office nor the Secretary of State’s Office immediately responded to requests for comment on the report. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office referred an inquiry to the Secretary of State.
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 sent a statement to The Times 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.”