The Trump administration is seeking to have Washington state set aside ballots from 405 registered voters it suspects are noncitizens, just days before the November 3 midterm elections. According to the Associated Press, the Justice Department alleges the individuals cast approximately 1,500 votes in previous elections, although their current citizenship status and eligibility have not been established. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs questioned the timing and accuracy of the request, noting that one person on the federal list last voted in 1994.
The move follows similar efforts in California, where officials reviewing a sample of 200 flagged registrations found inactive records, people with no voting history and individuals who appeared to have been born in the United States. Previous investigations have also found far fewer suspected noncitizen voters than initially alleged, including a Nevada review that identified no noncitizens among 1,500 flagged voters.
With voting already underway, the dispute raises concerns about whether unverified allegations could prevent eligible Americans from having their ballots counted. It also raises questions about the effect of these challenges on public confidence in election results, particularly when the allegations have not been substantiated.