U.S. District Judge David O. Carter rejected federal demands to delay the tally of disputed votes, noting that more than 3.7 million Californians had already participated. The Department of Homeland Security had pressured the state to review a 20,000-person list within two days, but local authorities revealed many listed individuals were actually native-born citizens or inactive voters. Los Angeles County administrators explained that isolating these votes was functionally impossible because more than 500,000 ballots had already been separated from their signature envelopes. The Justice Department intends to appeal the decision immediately to prevent what it describes as vote dilution.
Key points
The court determined that eleventh-hour challenges based on unproven voter eligibility cl…: The court determined that eleventh-hour challenges based on unproven voter eligibility claims unconstitutionally disrupt ongoing democratic elections.
Local administrators demonstrated that federal data regarding alleged non-citizen voters…: Local administrators demonstrated that federal data regarding alleged non-citizen voters was significantly flawed and operationally unworkable to implement.
The Justice Department plans an immediate appeal as part of a wider campaign targeting vo…: The Justice Department plans an immediate appeal as part of a wider campaign targeting voter rolls ahead of midterm elections.
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A federal judge has rejected the Trump administration’s request to set aside up to 20,000 mail-in ballots in California over allegations that the voters may be non-citizens, warning that the move would “wreak havoc and disrupt the election that is already underway”.
US District Judge David O Carter issued the ruling on Wednesday, rejecting the Justice Department’s demand that California delay counting the ballots until the citizenship status of the voters could be verified. The decision came as more than 3.7 million people had already voted in the state, according to court proceedings cited in Associated Press (AP) reports.
“Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable. Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred,” Carter wrote in his order.
“If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger. This Court declines to be a party to such process,” he added.
Why did the court reject the request?
The Republican administration sued California election officials in mid-October, alleging that they had failed to meet a 48-hour deadline to…
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