Trump sues California to block 20,000 alleged noncitizen mail-in ballots from November midterms

The Trump administration has sued California election officials, seeking a court order to stop the state from counting mail-in ballots cast by individuals the federal government suspects are probably not citizens before the November 3 midterm elections. The Justice Department gave California 48 hours to review a password-protected thumb drive listing 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters — then went to court after the state refused to comply within that deadline.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber dismissed the federal list as "unverifiable," pointing out that a similar Nevada list of 16,000 names turned out to consist entirely of confirmed US citizens.

Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan said his office took delivery of the thumb drive along with a handwritten note carrying the password, but chose not to open it, calling it an unsecured device.

A second lawsuit filed today contends that the Department of Homeland Security's push to obtain detailed state voter data violates federal law, broadening the legal confrontation over the election dispute.