Judge Weighs Special Master to Review 20,000 Noncitizen Voter Claims

A federal judge temporarily barred the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security from threatening or coercing state and local election officials over ballots cast by voters the administration alleges are ineligible, including by demanding that officials stop processing ballots, remove voters from rolls, reject ballots or set them aside. Judge Trina Thompson said those measures could intimidate election workers and interfere with lawful voting ahead of the November 3 midterms; the order is set to expire November 16. The ruling comes amid a dispute over roughly 20,000 California voters flagged by the administration, whose data state and county officials have disputed as unreliable; a federal judge had rejected the DOJ’s request to segregate disputed ballots and appointed a special master to examine its evidence, and the administration is appealing. Federal subpoenas also require Los Angeles County election employees to appear before a grand jury, while a separate federal judge ordered the government to share its disputed voter list with two outside groups for review. The administration says its efforts aim to prevent noncitizen voting and protect election integrity, while state officials and voting-rights groups warn that the lists could lead to eligible voters being disenfranchised.