Trump's DOJ Tells Washington to Set Aside 400 Alleged Noncitizens' Ballots Days Before Election

Acting U.S. Attorneys Neil Floyd and Pete Serrano sent Washington's Secretary of State a letter Oct. 26, 2026, naming about 405 people DOJ says are noncitizens registered to vote, demanding their ballots be segregated until citizenship is confirmed. Floyd said over 1,500 ballots may have been illegally cast, calling it "the tip of the iceberg," and gave 48 hours to comply or face "emergency relief" in court. DHS built the list comparing voter rolls against federal data.

The demand mirrors a monthlong DOJ campaign pressuring California and other states over alleged noncitizen voting ahead of the Nov. 3 election, part of roughly 30 DOJ lawsuits for voter rolls, 27 dismissed by judges. Earlier rounds proved inaccurate elsewhere: a claimed 16,000 noncitizen voters in Nevada was reduced to 185, with none confirmed.

Secretary Steve Hobbs questioned the list's accuracy, noting entries showing a last ballot cast in 1994, and said the timing "is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results." No lawsuit had been filed.