Trump threatens California election officials
The gist
US President Donald Trump shared a DOJ letter warning California election officials they could face jail over flagged mail ballots.
The dispute centers on unverified noncitizen-voter claims ahead of the November 3 midterms.
How it unfolded
- Oct 5, 2026Mail-in ballots started going out to all registered voters in California.
- Oct 14, 2026DOJ sent letters giving California election officials 48 hours to review a list of alleged noncitizens and set aside ballots from anyone whose citizenship they cannot verify, or face emergency court action.
- Oct 15, 2026DOJ sued California and Los Angeles County seeking a court order barring them from counting ballots from the flagged voters until citizenship is verified.