Justice Department Charges 28 in California Voting Probe

Federal authorities announced charges Monday against 28 California lawful permanent residents accused of voting or registering to vote unlawfully, saying 11 had been arrested as of October 19. The Justice Department said the cases were part of Operation Protect the Vote. The allegations have not been adjudicated, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Officials said the defendants are green card holders and therefore not U.S. citizens. The charges include allegations of registering to vote or casting ballots in federal elections; some defendants also face charges related to statements on naturalization paperwork. Federal authorities suspect 21 of the 28 actually voted, in some cases in multiple elections. That figure is an official allegation, not a court finding. The cases are connected to a separate dispute over roughly 20,000 people the Justice Department has identified as likely noncitizen registrants in California. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 defendants were on the federal list. The department is asking a federal court to require election officials to set aside ballots associated with the flagged registrants until...