Politics
Washington election officials challenge DOJ’s claim of 405 noncitizen voters
Federal prosecutors say their investigation identified 405 people who were not U.S. citizens when they registered and voted, and have asked Washington to set aside related ballots. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs disputes the findings, saying the federal screening system is flawed and may include citizens and decades-old records.
Federal prosecutors say they have identified 405 people they believe were noncitizens when they registered to vote and cast ballots in Washington elections, prompting a dispute with state election officials over the reliability of the findings and how to respond.
Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano for the Eastern District sent Secretary of State Steve Hobbs a letter Monday, Oct. 26, asking the state to sequester ballots associated with the people identified in the federal investigation.
At a news conference, Floyd said federal officials had a high degree of confidence in the cases. He said investigators questioned noncitizens in federal custody and people crossing the border into Washington, then compared information they gathered with federal immigration records and public voter-registration data.
The investigation is being conducted person by person, Floyd said. He suggested the number could grow, but offered no evidence in the announcement to substantiate his estimate that thousands of noncitizens may have voted. Federal officials have not said whether any of the 405 people will face criminal charges.
Hobbs rejected the federal claim, saying some people identified in the records are citizens and questioning how the names were selected. His office described the DOJ’s method as flawed and said at least one record in the federal letter dates to 1994.
“Washington elections are secure,” Hobbs’ office said in a statement, adding that noncitizen voting is rare and that voters attest to their eligibility when they return a ballot. The office said suspected fraud is investigated and referred to county law enforcement when appropriate.
Hobbs also said federal law bars states from removing voters from registration rolls within 90 days of an election. He urged officials to focus on ensuring eligible voters can cast ballots, pointing to his office’s claim that a recent U.S. Postal Service postmarking change contributed to 20,000 ballots being rejected after Washington’s August primary.
Washington Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh said the federal findings raise concerns about the state’s voter-registration database, including its automatic registration system. He argued that election security depends in part on keeping registration records accurate, particularly in a vote-by-mail state.
The DOJ previously asked Washington for unredacted voter-registration data, according to the state. Floyd said access to a more complete database would make it easier for federal investigators to compare records, while acknowledging that proving individual cases in court can be difficult.
Noncitizens are not eligible to vote in federal elections. Federal officials said fraudulent voter registration and false statements in naturalization applications can be crimes, and that illegal voting could affect a person’s ability to obtain U.S. citizenship. The competing accounts leave key questions unresolved, including how many of the 405 cases involve people who were citizens and what specific ballots, if any, the state can lawfully set aside.