Justice Department Drops Lawsuit Over California Ballots Allegedly Cast by Noncitizens
The U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its lawsuit against California that aimed to stop the state from counting approximately 20,000 ballots it alleged were cast by noncitizens. The department stated that the relief it sought was no longer available…
Los Angeles, CA, November 6, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Justice has announced it is dropping its lawsuit against the state of California concerning approximately 20,000 ballots that the department had alleged were cast by noncitizens.
The lawsuit, filed earlier, sought to prevent California from counting these specific ballots. However, the Justice Department stated that the grounds for its legal action were no longer applicable.
In a filing with the court, the department indicated that the relief it had sought was no longer available. This change in circumstances is attributed to the fact that the ballots in question would be commingled with lawfully cast ballots once the election has concluded. As a result, the department determined it could no longer pursue its original objective of isolating and excluding these ballots from the final count.
The specific details regarding the nature of the alleged noncitizen voters or the exact timeline of the lawsuit’s initiation were not further elaborated upon in the department’s stated reasons for withdrawal. The decision to drop the case signifies an end to the federal government’s legal challenge to the counting of these ballots in the specified election.
The department’s action means that the approximately 20,000 ballots, which were the subject of the federal lawsuit, will proceed to be counted alongside all other legally cast votes in California’s election. The withdrawal of the lawsuit removes a legal obstacle that had been placed on the state’s electoral process.
Story summarized from the original created by Safiya Riddle | Associated Press on laist.com, see more information here.
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