Washington state asked by Justice Department to isolate over 400 voter ballots

Federal prosecutors have asked election officials in Washington state to isolate ballots from more than 400 registered voters, alleging they could be noncitizens who are ineligible to participate in the upcoming midterm elections.

The request, issued by acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd, gave the Washington Secretary of State's office a 24-hour deadline to check citizenship records against a provided roster of names. Floyd stated that investigators had identified over 400 individuals registered to vote who lack citizenship and have participated in past elections, pledging that federal inquiries into unlawful voting would persist.

According to comments Floyd made during a radio interview, investigators compiled the list by cross-referencing registration logs with databases of permanent legal residents, including green card holders. Washington state has upwards of 5 million registered voters and operates an entirely vote-by-mail system, mailing ballots to all eligible participants.

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs confirmed through a spokesperson that his department is examining the submission, but he sharply condemned the federal intervention. Hobbs warned against harassment of local residents and questioned the intent behind the communication, noting that delivering such demands a week before election day appeared designed to undermine faith in the vote. He added that the state will only comply with inquiries that respect proper legal procedures.

The action in Washington comes as part of a wider push by the Trump administration to influence state-level election management, particularly in places that conduct vote-by-mail elections. The Department of Justice issued a comparable demand to California, asserting that roughly 20,000 noncitizens appeared on its rolls, and sought a court order to prevent those ballots from being tallied. However, a federal appeals court rejected that bid, citing procedural issues with how the case was brought. Officials in Los Angeles County also countered that the federal list relied on outdated records and swept up native-born citizens.

Voting analysts have noted that noncitizen voting remains extraordinarily rare due to severe criminal penalties and immigration consequences, including deportation. Furthermore, comparisons against immigration databases often generate false matches because naturalized citizens may still appear as legal residents on older federal records. Legal experts have also pointed out that federal statutes provide no clear mandate allowing the Justice Department to interfere with local ballot tabulations or election certification procedures.