Summary
Federal prosecutors in Washington asked the state to set aside ballots from 405 registered voters they suspect are not U.S. citizens, pending checks of their citizenship status. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs questioned the list’s accuracy and said the state would respond only to requests that follow due process; federal courts have dismissed most of the Trump administration’s lawsuits seeking states’ complete voter rolls.Key Facts
- Acting U.S. attorneys Neil Floyd and Pete Serrano sent the request to Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.
- The prosecutors said they believe many of the 405 people are green-card holders and alleged that the group cast more than 1,500 ballots.
- The prosecutors asked the state to segregate any ballots the listed people may cast until officials confirm their citizenship.
- Hobbs said one record on the list dates to 1994 and raised concerns about the list’s accuracy.
- Hobbs said a system used by the Justice Department can mistakenly flag U.S. citizens as noncitizens.
- The Trump administration sued Washington after Hobbs refused to provide an unredacted voter registration list; a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last month.
- The administration has sued 30 states and the District of Columbia for complete voter rolls, and 27 of those lawsuits have been dismissed by federal judges.
- Federal law makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote in U.S. elections, and the article says such voting is rare.
