Bonta accuses DOJ of weaponizing law in 48-hour ballot check

California Attorney General Rob Bonta accused the Justice Department of politicizing the law on Saturday, criticizing the federal agency's rapid push to review voter records. He stated that the department was acting on direct orders from President Donald Trump.

Federal prosecutors issued a demand less than two weeks before the midterm elections. They asked California election officials to verify a list of roughly 20,000 ballots associated with suspected noncitizens within 48 hours. While noncitizen voting is rare, the Justice Department has increased prosecutions of individuals accused of voting without citizenship.

State election personnel warned that the directive could remove the right to vote from eligible citizens. Officials in Los Angeles noted that a high percentage of the people on the list were born in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the effort on social media, calling it an absolute clown show. He alleged that the department sent counties lists of people who never voted and voters from the wrong county in a desperate attempt to invent widespread voter fraud.

Congressman Pete Aguilar, representing south-west San Bernardino county, wrote that voter intimidation has no place in democracy. Bonta questioned the evidence provided to state officials. He noted that they received only names without explanation for why those people were ineligible. Bonta said officials were happy to review the information but were provided none.

The Justice Department framed the request as a measure to secure the vote. It stated that it asked county officials to provide information for the Department of Homeland Security to quickly verify citizenship status. The agency claimed this cooperation would ensure the most secure election in California history. This effort fits a wider Republican push nationally to crack down on alleged voter fraud among undocumented immigrants.

The department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests proved California was mailing ballots to noncitizens who refused to comply with federal law. The defendants are lawful permanent residents who hold legal status in the US but are not citizens eligible to vote.

Some state officials took no action on letters sent Friday, citing the approaching election. This inaction set off a legal fight with the Justice Department. An appeals court is scheduled to hear the matter on Tuesday.