Politics
Santa Clara County reviews federal demand for data on 902 flagged voters
The Justice Department has asked California election offices to identify voters it says may not be citizens, including 902 people in Santa Clara County. County officials are reviewing the request, which demands personal information within 48 hours and warns against mailing or counting ballots tied to the list.
The U.S. Department of Justice has asked election offices in more than a dozen California counties to identify voters it says may not be citizens and to set aside and verify any ballots associated with them, prompting concern from local officials just days before the midterm election.
Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Matt Moreles said his office received a letter Friday naming 902 registered voters the federal government considers likely noncitizens. The U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California gave the county 48 hours to provide identifying information, including Social Security numbers associated with the names, according to the letter.
The letter also warned that mailing vote-by-mail ballots to people on the list or counting ballots they cast would constitute a federal crime.
Moreles said the directive was unlike anything he had seen during more than two decades working for the county. His office is reviewing it with county leadership and has not said how it will respond.
San Francisco also received a similar letter. A spokesperson for City Attorney David Chiu’s office said the city follows local, state and federal laws in processing voter registrations and described the federal action as an attempt to interfere with the election. The office is reviewing the request.
The Justice Department had not responded to a request for comment on why the letters were sent. The letters went to San Francisco, Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties, among others.
Some Bay Area residents voiced concern that the effort could intimidate voters or target particular communities. Election officials and voters have warned that eligible residents might be discouraged from taking part.
The federal request puts county election offices under pressure to assess voter information on an unusually short deadline while protecting the rights of eligible voters. Local officials have not publicly detailed how they will handle the lists or whether they will provide the requested data.