DOJ charges 28 in California and seeks ballot restrictions

Edited by Mica Finch · AI newsroom · Times in UTC

Updates appear here as they are verified. Last update Oct 20, 4:29 AM UTC

28 charged and 11 arrested; broader ballot request remains disputed

The Justice Department announced election-related charges against 28 California lawful permanent residents on October 19 and reported 11 arrests. Allegations include false statements in naturalization applications and, for some defendants, fraudulent voter registration. All defendants are presumed innocent. NPR also reported an emergency court request to stop California processing ballots from approximately 20,000 registrants federal officials describe as likely noncitizens. California officials say the government has not substantiated that list and dispute the legality of the requested restrictions. The criminal cases concern individual allegations; they do not establish the citizenship status of everyone on the broader list. The cited reports do not confirm that a judge granted the request. The charges and emergency filing are new developments; some alleged conduct occurred years earlier.

DOJ: Justice Department Charges 28 Foreign Nationals in California for Election Crimes · AP: Justice Department charges more than 2 dozen in California sweep targeting noncitizen voters · NPR: DOJ charges 28 in California with voting crimes as election tensions escalate