Justice Department Gives California 48 Hours on Voter List

The Justice Department has given California 48 hours to review a federal list of suspected noncitizens who received mail ballots, warning it may seek emergency court relief if state officials do not follow its requests. A Tuesday letter from Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber says Los Angeles County officials received a password-protected drive naming people the department believes are likely noncitizens and were sent ballots. The letter asks the state to determine whether citizens appear on the list and verify the citizenship of those identified. For listed voters who have not received ballots, the department asks California to withhold them pending verification. It also wants returned ballots from listed voters segregated and not counted until citizenship is established. The letter says the department may seek emergency relief if officials cannot implement the requested process within 48 hours. The letter does not disclose how many people are on the Los Angeles County list.