The Supreme Court just shut the door on Donald Trump’s last-ditch election move in California. The administration’s attempt to challenge thousands of ballots hit its final roadblock hours before the midterms.
How the Justice Department’s disputed voter list reached the Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s request to set aside 20,000 ballots in California ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to the BBC. The Justice Department had alleged the ballots may have been issued to non-citizens. Two lower courts had already denied the same request before it reached the nation’s highest court.
The Justice Department sent letters to California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County Registrar last month. The letters demanded officials set aside ballots of 20,000 registered voters the administration believed were “likely” non-citizens. Armed Department of Homeland Security officials later delivered letters to county employees threatening criminal charges.
In a 22-page brief, the Justice Department argued that ballots cast by non-citizens could “debase or dilute valid votes.” A federal appeals court declined the request on Friday. The Supreme Court then issued a one-line order denying the injunction on Monday.
California election officials challenged the accuracy of the government’s claims. They said the list of names contained numerous errors. Officials also warned that segregating ballots during active voting was not feasible and could disenfranchise eligible voters.
District Judge David Carter issued a sharp ruling last week. He stated that “never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own constitutional election procedures and bend to the will of the executive branch.” Carter also described the government’s actions as part of an “ongoing pattern of attempted election interference.” California remains the most populous US state with roughly 23 million registered voters. More than six million mail-in ballots had already been received as of Sunday night.
