Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Oct. 26 asked Washington state to set aside ballots cast by more than 400 registered voters whom the federal government suspects are noncitizens.
In a statement, the DOJ said it had provided the state with a list of voters suspected of being noncitizens or green card holders. Noncitizens are barred from voting in U.S. elections regardless of their legal immigration status.
"We have identified over 400 non-citizens who are registered to vote and have voted in multiple elections. This is only the tip of the iceberg," acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said.
"We will continue to investigate and identify those who are committing crimes by voting illegally."
In response, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said his office would carefully review the DOJ's letter seeking information about individuals listed on the state's voter rolls.
"We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process," Hobbs said in a statement.
"We saw what happened in California and don't want Washingtonians to be harassed."
According to Hobbs's office, cases of noncitizen voting are rare, and voters must attest to their eligibility by signing a declaration on their ballot return envelopes in every election. It also stated that the DOJ's system could mistakenly flag legitimate U.S. citizens as noncitizens.
"The timing of this request - one week before the General Election - is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results," Hobbs said.
The DOJ said it notified Hobbs in July that it was examining records to determine whether noncitizens were registered to vote in Washington. The department said on Monday it would provide the state with a list of individuals suspected of being illegally registered and request that the state set aside their mail-in ballots until their citizenship status could be confirmed.
The department said Washington was responsible for preventing noncitizens from voting illegally and that it was prepared to work with the state on the matter.
"Our purpose in sharing this data with the Secretary of State is to protect the sanctity of each citizen's vote," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano for the Eastern District of Washington said in the statement.
Earlier this month, the DOJ sued California to prevent the counting of 20,000 mail-in ballots cast by suspected noncitizens. The department appealed on Oct. 22 after U.S. District Judge David Carter failed to rule on its emergency request for injunctive relief by the requested deadline.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal on Oct. 26, citing a lack of jurisdiction because the district court had not yet issued a ruling.
Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter sent a letter to the Los Angeles County Counsel's office on Oct. 16, warning that county officials could risk "becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime" if they knowingly count ballots from individuals whom federal agencies have identified as noncitizens.
"The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant. Noncitizens voting in a federal election is a federal crime - and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful," McCotter wrote.
In response to the letter, Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said his office is focused on conducting a fair and secure election.