DOJ Asks Another State to Set Ballots Aside

The Trump administration on Monday asked Washington state to set aside any ballots received from more than 400 people it suspects registered to vote without US citizenship. In a letter to the Washington Secretary of State's Office, the Justice Department said it had identified 1,500 votes cast by the group in prior elections, the AP reports. It asked the state to hold onto ballots those people might cast in the Nov. 3 midterms until state officials can confirm they are legally eligible to vote. The state has more than 5 million registered voters. The DOJ and California are in court over a list of 20,000 names.

Much of the list was built based on "recent contacts" with suspected noncitizens, Floyd said, because federal officers are now routinely checking to see if the people they interact with are registered to vote. His office wants to compare that list against the state's voter information to help determine how many people actually cast ballots, acting US Attorney Neil Floyd said in a news conference. "We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process," Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in an email. "We see what's happening in California and don't want Washingtonians to be harassed."