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

> Los Angeles election officials assert that a Department of Justice list targeting over 20,000 suspected non-citizen voters includes a significant number of US-born citizens.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-20T20:07:40.666501Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/los-angeles-officials-challenge-doj-s-suspected-non-citizen-voter-list-16ca8735

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].

## Evidence cited
1. DoJ’s suspected non-citizens list includes ‘high percentage’ of those born in US, LA officials say (www.theguardian.com) — https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/20/doj-non-citizens-la
2. “Devoid of Any Factual Basis”: Again and Again, Judges Have Dismissed Trump’s Voter Data Lawsuits (projects.propublica.org) — https://projects.propublica.org/trump-doj-voter-data-lawsuits
3. ‘You have to sacrifice’: Trump voters stay loyal as US midterms approach (www.aljazeera.com) — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/20/you-have-to-sacrifice-trump-voters-stay-loyal-as-us-midterms-approach?traffic_source=rss
4. Nonpartisan coalition of religious leaders plans to counter voter intimidation on Election Day (www.pbs.org) — https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/nonpartisan-coalition-of-religious-leaders-plans-to-counter-voter-intimidation-on-election-day
5. DOJ demanded officials withhold ballots of suspected non-citizens, provided names on thumb drive (qz.com) — https://qz.com/
6. The Department of Justice on Thursday sued the top election officials in California and Los Angeles County, claiming they were planning to count ballots from more than 20,000 alleged noncitizens in next month's midterm elections. (washingtonpost.com) — https://www.washingtonpost.com/
7. LA County review of DOJ "likely noncitizens" list shows 25.8% U.S. birthplace, high canceled/inactive rates, and low voting history (democracydocket.com) — https://democracydocket.com/
8. A letter sent Tuesday to Secretary of State Shirley Weber from Trent McCotter, the acting deputy U.S. attorney general, says the department has provided officials in Los Angeles County with a password-protected thumb drive with a list of names the federal government believes are likely noncitizens who were sent ballots to participate in the Nov. 3 election. (pbs.org) — https://www.pbs.org/
9. LA County Supervisor Hahn calls arrests "voter intimidation"; CA AG Bonta says charged individuals are "tiny fraction" (latimes.com) — https://www.latimes.com/
10. "Operation Protect the Vote": Federal arrests of 11 foreign nationals among 28 charged in California for fraudulent voter registration/illegal voting (justice.gov) — https://www.justice.gov/
11. DOJ ordered California to review list of suspected non-citizen voters via thumb drive within 48 hours; CA Sec. Weber and LA Registrar Logan's offices respond (cbsnews.com) — https://www.cbsnews.com/
12. DOJ sued California to prevent tabulation of certain midterm ballots after LA County clerk Logan refused to review "unsecure" thumb drive list (theguardian.com) — https://www.theguardian.com/
13. The Justice Department's request that a federal judge block California and Los Angeles County from processing ballots from the list of 20,000 “likely noncitizens” it gave state officials last week is unprecedented and an especially unusual request given that voting is already underway. (opb.org) — https://www.opb.org/
14. Acting Deputy AG McCotter sent demand letters for proof of citizenship; CA officials refused, Gov. Newsom calls it "sad, desperate attempt" (mynewsla.com) — https://mynewsla.com/
15. California officials, who are in the midst of overseeing early voting across the state, rebuffed the Justice Department request. Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan said he did not consider the thumb drive a secure medium and told the Justice Department that privacy and information security protocols made it impossible for his office to access the information. (votebeat.org) — https://www.votebeat.org/
16. CA Sec. of State Weber criticizes DOJ's "unsubstantiated claims" and attempts to access protected voter data, citing lack of methodology disclosure (ca.gov) — https://www.ca.gov/
17. The Trump administration on Thursday sued California and Los Angeles County to try to force elections officials not to count potentially 20,000 registered voters' ballots, in an extraordinary intervention 19 days before a consequential national election. (calmatters.org) — https://www.calmatters.org/