California Elections: DOJ Scrutiny Faces Legal Challenges

With less than 48 hours remaining before the November 3 general election, California election officials are standing firm against a federal push to set aside ballots from roughly 20,000 voters. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has demanded that state authorities separate these specific ballots, claiming they may have been cast by non-citizens. In response, local and state leaders have issued public statements to reassure voters that their ballots will be counted securely.

The legal dispute centers on a list of 20,930 names provided by the DOJ to California election officials. Two members of the UCLA Election Rights Project, acting alongside the Immigrant Human Rights Coalition (CHIRLA), filed a lawsuit challenging this list. Their analysis found that 8,880 of the names, representing 42% of the total, do not appear in California’s current voter registration database. The study also identified at least 22 individuals on the list who are confirmed U.S. citizens, suggesting many others may also be eligible voters.

Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, voted publicly at an early voting site in Huntington Park on October 30, 2026. He stated that the goal is to build confidence in the process. "We want all eligible voters in Los Angeles County to come vote, and we want them to know that we will provide them with a safe opportunity to do so," Logan said. He noted that public trust in the midterm elections has been increasingly questioned in recent weeks.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta argued that the federal government intends to segregate and exclude the ballots of approximately 20,000 voters based on the DOJ’s list. Several judges have already rejected parts of the DOJ’s demand, deeming it unconstitutional. Bonta and other officials described the list as riddled with errors. Despite this, the DOJ has issued multiple grand jury subpoenas to election offices, including the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office. Logan described these subpoenas as intimidation tactics but said his office would comply with the law.

Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the state is prepared to protect the vote count from the night of the election. He said he is focused on securing more than 1,000 election officials to oversee the process and monitor DOJ observers. "We will make sure to oversee the vote count until the last vote is counted," Newsom said. Legal experts note that it is unlikely the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case before the election. However, once the count begins on Tuesday night, the questioned ballots will be mixed with the others, making it difficult to remove them later.

The DOJ’s review of California’s election offices continues despite the legal challenges. The administration has accused 28 California residents of fraudulent voter registration in separate proceedings. As the state prepares for the election, officials emphasize that the process remains intact despite the federal scrutiny.