Follow-Up: DOJ Acknowledges 20,000-Name Voter List May Include U.S. Citizens, Governor's Office Says
California's dispute with the U.S. Department of Justice over a list of roughly 20,000 alleged noncitizen voters saw new developments. In an October 20 statement, the Governor's Office said DOJ officials acknowledged at a Monday press conference that the 20,000-name list given to Los Angeles County may mistakenly include U.S. citizens.
The statement cited a new court filing by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, which found that 38.9 percent of a 200-person sample from the list showed indications of having been born in the United States. At least two U.S. citizens on the list have come forward, the Governor's Office said, including San Bernardino County resident Nellie Sanchez, who has sued the federal government.
The statement also quoted election-law experts, including UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, who said the reporting, if accurate, shows the DOJ's list-maintenance effort is itself unreliable.
For its part, the DOJ on Monday announced charges against 28 people it says illegally registered or voted, and has asked a federal court to bar California from processing ballots from voters on the list; the California Attorney General has filed an opposition, and the litigation continues. The DOJ says its actions aim to protect election integrity.
The New York Post reported on October 20 that Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, posted on social media that Los Angeles election officials had acknowledged in federal court that there is no independent way to verify a voter's citizenship apart from the voter's own attestation. Governor Newsom's office responded that California follows the federal National Voter Registration Act.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州州长 Gavin Newsom 官方肖像（2026年）。加州州长办公室发布，公共领域。Photo: Official portrait of California Governor Gavin Newsom (2026). Office of the Governor of California, public domain.
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