California election officials frustrated, rattled by DOJ demand to sequester ‘noncitizen’ ballots

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Local election authorities throughout California are confused and frustrated after receiving letters from President Donald Trump's Justice Department demanding that county registrars sequester ballots that the federal administration believes were sent to noncitizen voters ahead of the midterm elections.

What happened

Notably, the letters, which were sent on Friday, ask for sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, on roughly 20, 000 voters. It is illegal for noncitizens to register to vote or cast a ballot. When in fact it is quite rare, as even its own investigations have shown, the administration has insisted that immigrants voting is a major difficulty nationwide.

"All of this is simply meant to raise huge doubts about the integrity of this election, " remarked John Tuteur, the registrar of voters for Napa County in California's wine country.

The bottom line

In short, california election officials frustrated, rattled by DOJ demand to sequester noncitizen ballots is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.