The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Oct. 26 asked Washington state to set aside ballots cast by more than 400 registered voters whom the federal government suspects are noncitizens.
In a statement, the DOJ said it had provided the state with a list of voters suspected of being noncitizens or green card holders. Noncitizens are barred from voting in U.S. elections regardless of their legal immigration status.
“We have identified over 400 non-citizens who are registered to vote and have voted in multiple elections. This is only the tip of the iceberg,” acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said.
In response, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said his office would carefully review the DOJ’s letter seeking information about individuals listed on the state’s voter rolls.
“We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process,” Hobbs said in a statement.
“We saw what happened in California and don’t want Washingtonians to be harassed.”
Earlier this month, the DOJ sued California to prevent the counting of 20,000 mail-in ballots cast by suspected noncitizens. The department appealed on Oct. 22 after U.S. District Judge David Carter failed to rule on its emergency request for injunctive relief by the requested deadline.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal on Oct. 26, citing a lack of jurisdiction because the district court had not yet issued a ruling.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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