The US Justice Department asked Washington state on October 26, 2026, to set aside any Washington ballots received from more than 400 people it suspects registered to vote without US citizenship, pending checks of their eligibility.

Key Takeaways

  • The department said the people identified had cast 1,500 votes in prior elections.
  • Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said his office was reviewing the request.

Washington ballots request under review

In a letter to the secretary of state's office, the Justice Department asked officials to hold any ballots cast by the identified people in the November midterm election until their eligibility could be confirmed. Washington has more than 5 million registered voters.

Acting US Attorney Neil Floyd said the request was intended to hold the ballots until officials could confirm the voters were eligible. The department acknowledged that some people it suspects registered without citizenship may since have become naturalized.

Hobbs said his office takes its responsibility to protect voter information seriously and would respond only to requests that follow due process. His office said it had received about 60 Justice Department subpoenas seeking voter information since September.

A similar dispute in California

California has challenged a Justice Department effort to require the state to sequester mail ballots from up to 20,000 people the federal government suspects may not be citizens. Federal appellate judges questioned the timing, constitutionality and authority of that demand during arguments.

In a court filing, Los Angeles County Assistant Registrar-Recorder Monica Flores said a review of 200 records from the federal list found canceled or inactive registrations, people with no voting history and voters who appeared to have been born in the United States.

Further list anticipated

The Justice Department told Washington it anticipated sending another list of suspected noncitizens before Election Day. Its request does not establish that the people identified are ineligible to vote.

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