Trump’s DOJ Orders California to Segregate Mail Ballots Using a Secret List on a Thumb Drive

WASHINGTON, DC – With California’s vote-by-mail election already underway, Trump’s Justice Department handed Los Angeles County a password-protected thumb drive of supposed noncitizens and gave state officials 48 hours to segregate their mail ballots or face emergency litigation. California started mailing ballots to more than 20 million voters on October 5.

The DOJ won’t say how many names are on the list, how it was compiled, or whether any evidence backs it up. Over the summer, DHS claimed 190,000 noncitizens were on California’s rolls and then refused to share its data or methodology when the Secretary of State asked. Federal searches like this one have already flagged eligible citizens as noncitizens, including at least 578 citizens in Texas.

The demand has no legal footing. Federal law bars systematic voter roll changes within 90 days of a federal election. In court, DOJ has lost 26 of its 31 lawsuits demanding state voter rolls and hasn’t won a single one.

“Trump’s DOJ dropped a mystery list on a thumb drive and gave California two days to segregate ballots from voters it won’t even name,” said Mally Smith, Try And Stop Us Senior Adviser. “This administration has tried and failed 26 times to grab states’ voter rolls, so now it’s resorting to threats. Trump’s junk data has already branded hundreds of eligible Americans as noncitizens, and this new scare tactic is more of the same cheap theatrics. California owes them nothing, and every eligible Californian’s ballot will be counted.”