Voters face 48-hour audit deadline as California rejects federal ballot check

California election officials rejected a federal mandate on Saturday that requires them to verify 20,000 ballots within 48 hours. The deadline expires Tuesday, less than two weeks before the midterm elections. State leaders argue the tight timeline forces counties to make urgent decisions that could affect eligible voters.

The Department of Justice sent the demand to counties, asking them to provide information so the Department of Homeland Security can verify citizenship status. Federal prosecutors stated they are working to ensure the most secure election in California history. The list includes roughly 20,000 names tied to suspected noncitizen voting. Officials in Los Angeles noted that a high percentage of the individuals on the list were born in the United States.

Attorney General Rob Bonta criticized the move on MS Now, calling it a case of the justice department politicizing and weaponizing the law. He said the department was acting at the direction of President Donald Trump. Bonta questioned the evidence provided, noting that officials received only names without an explanation of why those people were supposedly ineligible. He stated that if the federal government had such information, they would be happy to review it, but they had provided none.

Governor Gavin Newsom posted on social media that the department was desperate to invent widespread voter fraud. He said the lists included people who never voted and voters from the wrong county. Congressman Pete Aguilar, who represents south-west San Bernardino county, wrote that voter intimidation has no place in our democracy. The state’s pushback contrasts with the federal stance, which frames the audit as a necessary step to secure the vote.

The dispute follows recent federal prosecutions of alleged noncitizen voters. The justice department charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests proved that California was mailing ballots to noncitizens. He noted that the defendants are lawful permanent residents who hold legal status in the US but are not citizens eligible to vote. Essayli argued that this makes noncitizen voting a crime when they refuse to comply with federal law.

Some state officials took no action on letters sent Friday, citing the rapidly approaching election. This inaction set off a legal fight with the justice department. An appeals court is scheduled to hear the matter on Tuesday. The outcome will determine whether counties must meet the 48-hour deadline or if the federal government will pursue further legal action against the state.

The 20,000 ballots in question are part of a wider Republican push nationally to crack down on alleged voter fraud. The effort specifically targets undocumented immigrants. California’s resistance highlights the tension between federal enforcement and state election administration as the midterms approach. The legal battle will test the limits of federal power over state election processes in the final days before voters head to the polls.