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UpdateNationalFriday, October 23, 2026

California asks court to dismiss DOJ lawsuit over alleged noncitizen voters

This page covers California's motion to dismiss a federal lawsuit about voter eligibility.

Reporting by
Democracy Docket
“DOJ lawsuit failed to prove any ‘voter cast an unlawful ballot,’ California says in motion to dismiss”, Friday, October 23, 2026
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What happened

California filed a motion to dismiss a Department of Justice lawsuit that sought to block 20,000 alleged noncitizens from voting. The state argued the federal government failed to prove any person cast a ballot illegally. California contends the DOJ's case rests on a chain of possibilities rather than evidence, noting the department provided no proof that voters identified through federal database matching are noncitizens who will cast and have counted ballots.1

The DOJ had previously arrested 11 people and charged 28 from the list, alleging they illegally registered to vote.1

20,000
alleged noncitizens the DOJ sought to block from voting1
11
people arrested by the DOJ1
28
people charged from the DOJ's list1
The answers behind this
Voter ID and proof of citizenshipCan noncitizens vote?Can the president stop a state from counting votes or certifying?

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Sources

  1. Democracy Docket, https://democracydocket.com/news-alerts/doj-lawsuit-failed-to-prove-any-voter-cast-an-unlawful-ballot-california-says-in-motion-to-dismiss · Friday, October 23, 2026

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