Politics · United States · 1 hr ago
US Justice Department asks Washington to set aside 400 ballots
The US Justice Department asked Washington state to review more than 400 voters it believes may be noncitizens and set aside any ballots they cast in next week’s election.
The department gave state election officials 24 hours to check the list against citizenship records.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs’ office is reviewing the list, but Hobbs said the state would respond only to requests that follow due process.
He also said the timing could cast unfounded suspicion on the election results.
Noncitizens sometimes appear on voter rolls, but relatively few vote, and newly naturalized citizens can be mistakenly flagged because there is no comprehensive list of US citizens.
The request follows a court setback for the Trump administration’s effort to set aside suspected noncitizen ballots in California; Washington’s review is now underway.
The Justice Department asked Washington state on October 26 to set aside ballots cast in the upcoming election by more than 400 people it suspects registered to vote without U.S. citizenship.
The department said it had identified 1,500 votes cast by those people in prior elections and asked the state to check their eligibility.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs’ office said it was reviewing the request and would respond only to requests that follow due process.
The request came as the administration faced a legal setback in a separate effort to set aside ballots in California.
- Who
- The U.S. Justice Department, through Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd, made the request to Washington state election officials.
- What
- It asked the state to set aside ballots cast by more than 400 people it suspects may be noncitizens until their eligibility is confirmed.
- When
- Monday, October 26, 2026, one week before the general election.
- Where
- Washington state.
- Why
- The Justice Department said it believes the people registered to vote without U.S. citizenship and wants officials to confirm whether they are legally eligible.
Justice Department
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs
Request
Justice Department
The department asked Washington to set aside ballots cast by more than 400 people it suspects may be noncitizens.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs
Hobbs’ office is reviewing the request and says it will respond only to requests that follow due process.
Timing and effect
Justice Department
Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said the department identified people who registered and voted illegally and would continue investigating.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs
Hobbs said the request, made one week before the general election, was intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results and could lead to harassment.
The Justice Department said it identified 1,500 votes cast by more than 400 people it suspects registered without U.S. citizenship.
The Justice Department asked Washington to set aside any ballots cast by the people on its list.
Hobbs’ office said it was reviewing the list and the department’s request.
A federal appeals court ruled against the administration’s effort to set aside ballots in California.
- People on Washington list
- More than 400
- Prior votes identified
- 1,500
- Washington voter rolls
- More than 5 million voters
- Time given to review list
- 24 hours
- California list cited by Justice Department
- 20,000 people it suspects may be noncitizens
3 sources
What people are saying
We have identified over 400 non-citizens who are registered to vote and have voted in multiple elections
We are asking the state to set aside those ballots until we can confirm they are legal voters
We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process.
The timing of this request—one week before the General Election—is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results.