The Trump administration is asking a judge to pause the counting of mail-in ballots from alleged noncitizens in California until their immigration status can be verified.
The race is on to get out the vote in the final stretch of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
President Donald Trump continued his campaign travel blitz on Saturday with a rally in Kentucky aimed at boosting Republican turnout.
Meanwhile, organizers planned hundreds of “No Kings” rallies across the country this weekend. Many attendees held signs opposing Trump’s policies, but organizers framed the events as a nonpartisan effort to encourage early voting. The national movement is also mobilizing to prepare for “mass nonviolent action in rapid response to election disruption or subversion if needed.”
The rallies come amid an escalating legal battle in California, where the Trump administration is asking a judge to pause the counting of mail-in ballots from suspected noncitizens until their immigration status can be confirmed as part of a broader effort to prevent fraud.
California’s Secretary of State Shirley Weber says the federal government hasn’t provided evidence to support its allegations and warns that these “unprecedented measures” could threaten voting rights.
The Justice Department upped the stakes, warning in a letter addressed to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s office that local election officials who process and tabulate ballots submitted by suspected noncitizen voters may be at risk of prosecution.
“They will all go to jail for a long period of time,” Trump said on social media.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senators Alex Padilla, Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse are urging the Justice Department in a letter to reaffirm that it won’t interfere in the election and rule out any attempt to seize ballots before the midterm results are certified.
The DOJ didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the letter.
