Justice Department sues California over alleged noncitizen voters

The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of California, alleging that non-citizen individuals are on the state's voter rolls. The lawsuit, filed on October 10, 2023, claims that California's voter registration process is not adequately verifying the citizenship status of voters.

According to the Department of Justice, the lawsuit is based on a review of voter registration data that identified potential non-citizens on the rolls. The review was conducted by the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, which is responsible for enforcing federal voting laws.

The lawsuit seeks to block California's voter registration process until the state can demonstrate that it is adequately verifying the citizenship status of voters. The Department of Justice is also seeking to require California to remove non-citizens from the voter rolls.

The lawsuit comes as part of a broader effort by the Department of Justice to enforce federal voting laws and prevent voter fraud. The Department of Justice has been investigating allegations of voter fraud in several states, including California.

The lawsuit has been met with criticism from some civil rights groups, who argue that it is an attempt to suppress the voting rights of eligible citizens. The groups claim that the lawsuit is based on flawed data and that it will disproportionately affect minority communities.

The California Secretary of State's office has stated that the state's voter registration process is designed to verify the citizenship status of voters, and that it has been in place for many years. The office has also stated that it will cooperate fully with the Department of Justice's investigation.