By — Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-to-sideline-20000-disputed-california-mail-ballots Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump administration asks Supreme Court to sideline 20,000 disputed California mail ballots Politics Nov 2, 2026 12:53 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration appealed to the Supreme Court on Monday in its push to sideline thousands of disputed California mail ballots the day before the pivotal midterm elections. The emergency appeal came after an appeals court rejected the request to set aside some 20,000 ballots from people the federal government suspects may not be citizens. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. The federal government says those ballots should not be counted until the voters' status can be verified. California officials say the list is highly unreliable and likely includes many people who are U.S. citizens. The Republican Trump…
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to sideline 20,000 disputed California mail ballots
In short
The Justice Department's emergency application seeks a limited injunction to stop election workers from commingling disputed ballots with lawful ones until voter citizenship statuses are confirmed. State officials have pushed back forcefully, arguing that the federal government's list is deeply flawed and contains legitimate voters. Lower courts have repeatedly rejected the administration's claims, noting that hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots have already been processed across California since early October. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter previously cautioned that such last-minute interventions risk disenfranchising voters and eroding public trust in democratic systems.
Key points
- California officials contend the federal data used to challenge voter eligibility is unre…: California officials contend the federal data used to challenge voter eligibility is unreliable and threatens lawful citizens' votes.
- The emergency Supreme Court appeal represents an eleventh-hour attempt to alter local bal…: The emergency Supreme Court appeal represents an eleventh-hour attempt to alter local ballot-counting protocols right before the midterm elections.
- Lower judicial rulings have prioritized avoiding election disruption over federal request…: Lower judicial rulings have prioritized avoiding election disruption over federal requests to isolate suspected noncitizen ballots.