Los Angeles Officials Challenge DOJ's Suspected Non-Citizen Voter List

Los Angeles election officials asserted on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in court papers that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) list of over 20,000 suspected non-citizens, targeted for ballot segregation, includes a “high percentage” of US-born citizens[1][6]. This assertion directly challenges the accuracy of the DOJ’s list.

This dispute raises significant concerns about potential voter disenfranchisement in the upcoming midterm elections, affecting how votes are counted and potentially impacting the integrity of the election[1][13]. If US citizens are incorrectly identified and their ballots segregated, their fundamental right to vote could be compromised[1].

What the records show

Los Angeles election officials stated in court documents that the DOJ’s list of suspected non-citizens contains many individuals born in the United States[1]. A review by Los Angeles County of a sample of voters on the DOJ’s list, which included 7,035 Los Angeles County addresses, found that 25.8% of those sampled listed a U.S. birthplace[7]. County officials described this as “a strong indicator of citizenship status”[7]. The county’s review further showed that more than 71% of sampled individuals had never voted[7]. Additionally, 42.9% of the sampled registrations were already canceled, with another 4.6% inactive[7]. Only 42.4% were active registrations, and just 45% of sampled individuals had actually been mailed ballots for the current election[7].

The timeline

The DOJ provided California election officials with a list of over 20,000 individuals it deemed “likely non-citizens” last week[1][5][6]. The department then issued a 48-hour deadline for election officials to segregate ballots from anyone on this list unless their citizenship could be verified[1][11]. Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Trent McCotter sent demand letters regarding this to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office and the California Secretary of State’s Office[11][14]. California election officials refused to comply with this demand[1][14]. Los Angeles County Clerk and Recorder Dean Logan stated his office would not review the list, citing concerns about the security of the USB drive provided and the lack of underlying evidence or methodology from the DOJ[12][15]. This refusal led the DOJ to file a lawsuit on October 15, 2026, against the state and Los Angeles County[1][6][17].

What officials said publicly

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber confirmed receiving a letter from the Justice Department but stated the federal government “did not provide the list [of alleged noncitizens] to our office”[11]. She criticized the DOJ’s “unsubstantiated claims” and “relentless efforts to unlawfully gain access to states’ protected voter data,” stating these actions “serve only to cause chaos and fuel public distrust in our elections”[14][16]. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn referred to related arrests as “voter intimidation and a blatant attempt to undermine trust in our midterm elections”[9]. Governor Gavin Newsom called the federal government’s demand “a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department”[14].

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the specific methodology the Department of Justice used to generate its list of over 20,000 suspected non-citizens[12][16]. We also could not confirm whether the “unsecure” USB drive mentioned by Dean Logan was the only method of providing the list to state officials[11][12][15].