San Diego Congress Members Defend County Against Federal Ballot Freeze

Four California Democratic representatives backed the San Diego County Registrar of Voters on Monday, rejecting a Department of Justice demand to hold the ballots of 1,709 voters. The congressional delegation included Reps. Scott Peters, Juan Vargas, Sara Jacobs, and Mike Levin. They sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche to support the county’s refusal to comply with the federal request.

The DOJ asked the county to leave those votes uncounted until citizenship status could be verified. The agency also sought personal data, including Social Security numbers and copies of state identification cards. U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon’s office sent the initial letter last month, setting a 48 hour compliance deadline that expired on Sunday.

The lawmakers argued that the federal action violates the National Voter Registration Act and the Voting Rights Act. They stated the move jeopardizes the constitutional right to vote and praised state registrars for upholding election laws. The group noted that the request conflicts with California state law as well as federal statutes.

San Diego County election officials responded to the federal pressure by calling the request a thinly veiled voter purge. The county letter threatened legal action against the DOJ for unlawful intimidation of election officials and voters. A spokesperson for Gordon’s office declined to comment on the dispute on Wednesday.

The DOJ asserted that the 1,709 individuals are part of a larger list of 20,000 California voters suspected of being non-citizens. This letter to San Diego was one of 57 similar notices sent on Friday to every county in the state except Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times reported that Los Angeles had already received a similar letter previously.

Federal attorneys are also pursuing a court order in Los Angeles to set aside the 20,000 ballots. U.S. District Judge David Carter warned federal prosecutors to stop threatening state and county employees while he reviews the case. A federal appeals court panel sent the matter back to Carter last Monday, declining to hear an emergency appeal from the administration.

Judge Mark Bennett, a Trump appointee on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel, expressed concern about the legal basis for the federal intervention. He questioned how an injunction could be issued against the specific sorting methods adopted by the California Legislature. The panel voted 2-1 to return the case to the district court for a decision.