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Tell the DOJ: Don't Discard Eligible Voters' Ballots
The Trump administration wants California to set aside ballots linked to roughly 20,000 registered voters — using a federal citizenship list that state election officials say is riddled with errors.
With Election Day just days away, the Justice Department is fighting in court to force California to hold those ballots. A hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. But the government's evidence is deeply flawed, putting eligible Americans at risk of having their votes delayed or excluded.
And California could be just the beginning. If federal officials can use unreliable databases to challenge thousands of voters at the last minute, the same approach could threaten eligible voters in other states.
Noncitizens are already prohibited from voting in federal elections, and noncitizen votes are extraordinarily rare.
In Michigan's 2024 election, officials identified just 16 apparent cases among more than 5.7 million ballots cast. That's just 0.00028%. But the Trump administration still wants to set aside 20,000 ballots in California, including voters whose records show meaningful evidence of U.S. birth.
Think about what that means: You register to vote. You follow the rules. You cast your ballot. Then a government database flags your name, and your vote could be held up through no fault of your own.
That's why scrutiny of Attorney General Todd Blanche's actions matters now. He oversees the Justice Department's litigation strategy and can withdraw its request before these attacks on our votes spread to more states.
We need to show Blanche that we're ready to hold him accountable if he improperly interferes with elections and excludes valid ballots without credible justification. If he continues on this path, the next step should be to put pressure on Congress to impeach him.
Thanks for all that you do,
Matt from the Swarm