Bonta calls DOJ 48-hour ballot audit a desperate move ahead of midterms

California Attorney General Rob Bonta accused the Department of Justice of weaponizing the law on Saturday, criticizing a federal order that requires state election officials to verify roughly 20,000 ballots within 48 hours. The demand arrived less than two weeks before the midterm elections, prompting Bonta to tell MS Now that the department was acting at the direction of President Donald Trump to attack its political enemies.

The federal prosecutors framed the request as a measure to secure the vote. A statement from the justice department asked county officials to provide necessary information so the Department of Homeland Security could quickly verify citizenship status. The department claimed that with local cooperation, it could ensure the most secure election in California history.

State election personnel warned that the short deadline could strip eligible citizens of their right to vote. Officials in Los Angeles reported that a high percentage of the people named on the federal list were born in the United States. Bonta noted that his office received only a list of names without any explanation of why those individuals were considered ineligible. He stated that the state would be happy to review the information if the federal government provided it.

The dispute has drawn broader political attention. Governor Gavin Newsom posted on social media that the department was desperate to invent widespread voter fraud, calling the process an absolute clown show. He said the federal government sent counties lists of people who never voted, as well as voters from the wrong county. Congressman Pete Aguilar, who represents south-west San Bernardino county, wrote that voter intimidation has no place in the democracy.

The federal push comes amid a wider Republican effort to crack down on alleged voter fraud, particularly among undocumented immigrants. The justice department recently charged 28 foreign nationals with fraudulently registering to vote. Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, said the arrests proved that California was mailing ballots to noncitizens who were refusing to comply with federal law. The defendants are lawful permanent residents who hold legal status in the US but are not citizens.

Some state officials took no action on the letters sent Friday, citing the rapidly approaching election. This inaction set off a legal fight with the justice department. An appeals court is scheduled to hear the matter on Tuesday.