The Justice Department's pre-election interventions broke from decades of institutional restraint aimed at avoiding the appearance of partisan meddling. In California, federal attorneys targeted roughly 20,000 mail-in ballots from suspected non-citizens, while in Alaska, officials investigated whether a candidate was planted to confuse voters in a tight Senate race. Courts have swiftly pushed back against the federal maneuvers, dismissing lawsuits filed in both states. Despite the rulings, the department has appealed the decision in the Alaska case, while state leaders insist existing local safeguards are sufficient.
Key points
Federal interventions ahead of the midterms broke longstanding institutional norms meant…: Federal interventions ahead of the midterms broke longstanding institutional norms meant to shield the Justice Department from partisan politics.
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the controversial lawsuits as lawful measures desi…: Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the controversial lawsuits as lawful measures designed solely to preserve election integrity.
State officials firmly maintain that administering elections is a state responsibility eq…: State officials firmly maintain that administering elections is a state responsibility equipped with its own established legal safeguards.
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US President Donald Trump's Justice Department has stepped into election disputes ahead of Tuesday's US midterm elections, breaking with decades of practice aimed at keeping federal law enforcement agencies from appearing to favour a political party or candidate.
The department has filed lawsuits challenging election procedures in California and Alaska, raising concerns among critics that its powers are being used to influence contests that could determine control of Congress and several governors' offices, Reuters reported.
In California, the Justice Department sought to block mail-in ballots from around 20,000 voters it suspects may be non-US citizens and therefore ineligible to vote. It has also demanded election records as part of a related criminal investigation.
California officials have rejected the move, saying the state has safeguards to prevent noncitizens from voting and arguing that the federal government lacks the authority to block the ballots.
In Alaska, the department has stepped up a criminal investigation into whether a Senate candidate sharing the name of Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan entered the race to confuse voters.
It also moved to prevent certification of the election…
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