The Justice Department sued California in federal court Wednesday, alleging the state has failed to maintain accurate voter rolls by including noncitizens. The lawsuit demands California purge these individuals from its voter registration database and cites violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which requires states to ensure the accuracy of their registration records.
The action marks a direct intervention by the Trump administration into California's election practices. President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised concerns about voter integrity and noncitizens on voter rolls.
California election officials have said the state has robust systems to verify voter eligibility and that noncitizen registrations and voting are rare and isolated.
The lawsuit seeks to force California to implement more stringent verification processes and regularly update voter registration lists—likely through cross-referencing state voter data with federal databases maintained by the Department of Homeland Security.
Under the National Voter Registration Act, the Justice Department has authority to sue states for alleged compliance failures. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have used this power to address voter roll maintenance.
Legal experts say the case will proceed through federal district court and potentially to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A court order forcing California to alter its voter roll procedures would significantly reshape the state's election operations.
