Analysis Shows 42% of DOJ Noncitizen List Missing From California Voter Rolls

Voters in California may face fewer challenges to their eligibility than initially suggested by federal authorities. A legal filing submitted on Saturday indicates that 8,880 names, or 42 percent, of the Department of Justice's list of alleged noncitizen voters are not currently registered in the state's voter file.

The findings come from two data analysts at the University of California, Los Angeles, who examined the 20,930 names the Justice Department demanded California officials separate during the vote count. The analysis is the first independent review of the list, which the Trump administration has used to threaten prosecution of election officials. The researchers found that at least 22 individuals on the list are confirmed U.S. citizens, and many others likely belong to that group as well.

The UCLA Voting Rights Project, working with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, filed the analysis in a lawsuit challenging the federal demand. The group argued that the methodology used by the administration risks disenfranchising eligible voters. The filing was cosigned by Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for California governor and an adviser to the UCLA project.

The Trump administration has rejected the findings. Bill Essayli, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, posted on social media that the report was "bogus" and attributed to an activist group. The administration had previously described the list as containing sensitive information and called requests for the data a "fishing expedition."

President Donald Trump criticized the judicial rulings against the effort to separate votes from suspected noncitizens. In a social media post, he claimed his Justice Department found 20,000 potentially fraudulent votes, though he suggested the number could reach hundreds of thousands or millions. He questioned why courts would reject measures to fix election fraud, even when those rulings came from judges he nominated.

The Justice Department has warned California election officials they could face criminal liability if noncitizens vote. The department also issued subpoenas to local election offices. Officials have stated they lack the time to conduct the required investigations before Election Day. The administration has similarly urged Washington state to remove 400 potential noncitizens from its rolls, a move state officials have disputed.

A federal judge in California ordered the Justice Department to stop sending demands to state officials on Friday. The Trump administration appealed that decision on Saturday. The UCLA researchers noted that the administration removed voter identification numbers from the list, making it difficult for officials to verify whether the flagged individuals were already on the rolls or were duplicates. Kiersten V. Pels, a Justice Department spokesperson, stated that the department makes no apology for protecting the votes of eligible citizens.