48 hours to check 20,000 votes

Federal prosecutors have demanded that California election officials verify 20,000 ballots within 48 hours. The request arrived less than two weeks before the midterm elections. It targets votes tied to suspected noncitizens.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta rejected the timeline on Saturday. He accused the Justice Department of acting at the direction of President Donald Trump. Bonta told MS Now that the department is "politicizing and weaponizing the law." He described the move as completely improper.

Voting by noncitizens is rare. However, the Justice Department has increased prosecutions of people accused of voting without US citizenship. Federal officials framed the 48 hour deadline as a method to secure the vote. A department statement said they need county help to allow the Department of Homeland Security to quickly verify citizenship status. They claimed this would ensure the most secure election in California history.

Election personnel in Los Angeles warned that the directive could remove eligible citizens from the rolls. They stated that a high percentage of the people on the list were born in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the effort on social media. He noted that the department sent lists of people who never voted or voters from the wrong county. He called the situation an absolute clown show.

Congressman Pete Aguilar of south west San Bernardino county also objected. He wrote that voter intimidation has no place in the democracy. Bonta has questioned the evidence behind the list. He said officials received only names without an explanation of why those people were supposedly ineligible. Bonta added that the state would be happy to review the information if it were provided.

The Justice Department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests prove California is mailing ballots to noncitizens. He noted that the defendants are lawful permanent residents. They hold legal status in the US but are not citizens eligible to vote.

Some state officials did not act on the letters sent Friday. They cited the rapidly approaching election. This inaction started a legal fight with the Justice Department. An appeals court will hear the matter on Tuesday.