Federal Officials Flag 405 Washington Voters

The Trump administration asked Washington state on Monday to hold back ballots from 405 registered voters it suspects are not US citizens. The request arrived less than two weeks after a similar demand was made in California.

Acting US Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said the 405 voters identified so far represented "the tip of the iceberg." He stated that state limitations on the federal investigation restricted agents to a portion of the total number of cases. Federal officers are checking whether individuals they encounter are registered to vote, a process Floyd said contributed to the list of names.

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said he is reviewing the request from the Justice Department. His office noted that the federal data included the date each person last voted, with one instance dating back to 1994. Hobbs stated, "The timing of this request one week before the general election is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results."

The Justice Department has asked the state for addresses, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and partial social security numbers. Federal officials noted that some individuals suspected of registering without citizenship may have since become naturalized. Washington has more than 5 million registered voters, and the state issues mail ballots to all of them.

This action in Washington marks the third direct challenge to a state by the Justice Department this month as voting is underway. The other two states involved are California and Alaska. Each of these states contains House or Senate races that will help determine the balance of power in Congress. Washington's third congressional district hosts a competitive race where Democrats are counting on incumbent Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to retain her seat.

In California, federal prosecutors sought to set aside mail ballots from up to 20,000 suspected noncitizens. A panel of federal appellate judges heard arguments on Sunday regarding the timing and authority of that request. On Monday, the judges returned the matter to a lower court without ruling on the expedited timeline. The California lawsuit followed a filing in Alaska last week seeking to delay certification of the vote if the Republican incumbent does not win.

The Justice Department told Washington it plans to send an additional list of suspected noncitizens before election day. In California, Los Angeles county assistant registrar-recorder Monica Flores reported that a sample of 200 records included canceled registrations and people with no voting history.