Justice Department asks Washington to hold ballots of 400 suspected non-citizen voters

The Justice Department wrote to Washington’s Secretary of State, stating it had found roughly 1,500 votes from more than 400 individuals in prior elections and urging the state to set aside any ballots those people might cast in next month’s midterm elections until their citizenship status can be verified. Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd presented the request at a news conference, and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs noted his office has already received about 60 subpoenas from the department and will comply only with due-process requests.

The administration’s push is part of a broader campaign to identify non-citizen voters, despite evidence that such voting is extremely rare; similar demands in California have faced legal challenges over timing and constitutional authority. A review of a sample list in Los Angeles County found many entries were inactive, lacked voting history, or were born in the United States. The Justice Department warned that some listed individuals may have become naturalized since the list was compiled. Prior investigations in Nevada and Maricopa County produced far fewer or no non-citizen voters than the administration claimed.