The Justice Department gave Contra Costa County's elections office 48 hours to quarantine ballots from more than 400 voters it flagged as possibly not U.S. citizens, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The letter from U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian threatened legal action if registrars didn't act.
How the county responded
- Deputy County Counsel Andrea Russi told the Chronicle the county had not decided how to respond.
- Clerk-Recorder Kristin Connelly said, "Voters need to vote and not be intimidated," according to the Chronicle.
- Rep. Mark DeSaulnier said in a statement: "I am deeply concerned by the escalating weaponization of the Justice Department to interfere with the November 3rd election."
The bigger fight
The letters to Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties covered more than 1,300 voters combined, the Chronicle said. Merced and Fresno counties also got letters. Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan told election officials the letters show a "posture of intimidation."
The DOJ has also sued California and asked a court to block about 20,000 ballots it calls possibly fraudulent; a hearing is set for this week. Separately, a federal judge in Oakland blocked Homeland Security from voter-fraud operations in several states, the Chronicle reported.
See every race and measure in our Election 2026 guide.