Justice Department Directs California Counties to Flag Suspected Noncitizens on Voter Rolls
The Justice Department has ordered California election officials to identify suspected noncitizens on voter rolls and set aside their mail-in ballots, warning that officials who knowingly count such ballots could face criminal liability. The directive was sent to various California…
Salt Lake City, UT, October 25, 2026 —
The Justice Department has directed election officials in various California counties to identify suspected noncitizens listed on voter rolls and set aside their mail-in ballots, according to the information provided about the directive.
The department also warned that officials who knowingly count ballots from suspected noncitizens could face criminal liability. The summary does not specify the legal basis cited for the warning or describe what consequences officials could face.
Details about the directive remain limited. The date it was sent, the counties that received it and the number of voters or ballots potentially affected were not provided. The information also does not explain how officials are expected to identify people suspected of being noncitizens, what process would be used to review those cases, or whether affected voters would be notified.
No response from California election officials or the counties was included in the summary. It does not say whether any ballots have been set aside, whether the directive has been challenged, or what action officials have taken in response.
The directive, as described, concerns suspected noncitizens rather than confirmed cases. The available information does not clarify what standard officials should use to distinguish suspicion from a verified status, or how any resulting decisions would be documented. Those details, along with the directive’s full text, were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by Karina Tsui, Maria Aguilar Prieto, Isa Mudannayake on www.fox13now.com, see more information here.
