NAACP, Latino Group Join Fight Over 20K LA County Ballots

LOS ANGELES, CA — A pro-voter coalition including the Los Angeles branch of the NAACP moved Friday to intervene as defendants in an 11th-hour case brought by the Justice Department seeking to prevent election officials in Los Angeles County and across the state from tallying mail ballots submitted by roughly 20,000 suspected non-citizens in the upcoming election.

In a filing Friday, attorneys for the League of United Latin American Citizens and the NAACP said the groups wish to enter the case "because the Federal Government's demands flout the law, disregard the realities of election administration, and defy basic standards of decency — all while voting is underway."

The DOJ is seeking a court order to temporarily prevent the counting of votes from 20,000 people allegedly identified by the Department of Homeland Security "until their citizenship status can be determined."

Juan Proaño, CEO of LULAC, said in a statement it was "shameful that the United States Department of Justice is targeting the Latino community and spreading lies about our elections. We will not stand by while they attempt to deny any Americans' vote based on unverified claims.

"The DOJ wants California to set aside ballots without establishing whether those people are actually eligible to vote. Latino voters should not have to fear that their ballots will be singled out and left uncounted because the federal government cannot get its facts straight."

On Wednesday, the DOJ sent a letter to L.A. County Registrar- Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber demanding that they separate and refuse to count the ballots of voters they claim are ineligible based on a list the federal government constructed using methods they refused to disclose to state and local election officials, according to the coalition.

Logan and the Secretary of State's Office refused to comply, triggering the DOJ's lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court.

According to Weber's office, federal officials claimed in July that California had 190,000 non-citizens on its voter rolls, but when her office asked for proof of their claims, "they refused and provided California with nothing."

The Trump administration has long asserted that large numbers of non- citizens were casting ballots in California and elsewhere, although officials have never provided any proof or documentation of such sweeping fraud.

Federal prosecutors — including First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli — have announced a variety of criminal cases filed in recent months against individuals suspected of voter fraud. Essayli's office most recently charged a Honduran national living in Winnetka with fraudulently registering to vote in U.S. elections.

Also last month, a Victorville man was among three people charged with allegedly paying people on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles to sign petitions using identities of registered voters to qualify initiatives for ballots in California elections.

The DOJ issued a statement Tuesday saying the letters sent to California election officials "should not be controversial, as the criminal statute is clear: only American citizens may vote in federal elections. It is a federal crime for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections, and the DOJ is asking California to ensure that is not occurring."

Essayli took to X on Friday to lash out at California officials for failing to review the citizenship of the voters flagged by the federal government.

"The 20K represents the number of non-citizens confirmed by a review of federal databases," he wrote. "This has been confirmed by (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) and (Homeland Security Investigations). The data has been provided to California, and they are free to check the work. But that suggests California is actually interested in complying with federal elections laws.

"California is intentionally spreading misinformation about the data we produced. Instead, it should review the data and work to prevent non-citizen ballots from being counted. Especially since it already mailed ballots to them."

Kristen Clarke, NAACP general counsel, said Friday the Justice Department "is resorting to unlawful and unprecedented tactics in order to hijack the midterm election. This latest attempt to disenfranchise voters comes as voting is actively underway.

"The NAACP remains vigilant and will swiftly move to safeguard the right to vote in the face of this administration's ongoing voter suppression campaign. We will continue to fight for a democracy in which everyone is able to exercise their voice at the ballot box."

Other proposed intervenor-defendants include the Immigrant Rights and Education Network and Mi Familia en Accion, which filed their intention to join the case Thursday.

By Fred Shuster, City News Service