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Los Angeles election officials have no independent way to verify whether voters are US citizens beyond taking their word for it, according to the city’s top federal prosecutor.
Bill Essayli, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, blasted the state over the gap in its election safeguards, warning that eligible Americans’ votes “are being diluted” while officials refuse to set aside ballots flagged by federal authorities.
Massive concession: Los Angeles election officials just told a federal court they have no independent way to verify citizenship beyond what voters attest. (They simply take their word for it.) Under federal law, only citizens may vote in federal elections. Yet California has not… pic.twitter.com/F51pJz9481
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 20, 2026
“Los Angeles election officials just told a federal court they have no independent way to verify citizenship beyond what voters attest. (They simply take their word for it.),” Essayli wrote in a post on X, sharing highlighted text from the Justice Department’s lawsuit against California over suspected noncitizens on its voter rolls.
“Under federal law, only citizens may vote in federal elections. Yet California has not acted on the list of 20,000 suspected noncitizens or agreed to set aside their ballots. American citizens’ votes are being diluted in California.”
Essayli’s broadside comes as the Justice Department ramps up its fight with California over election integrity, announcing Monday that it was charging 28 noncitizens with election crimes in the state.
Federal officials have also asked a court to stop California from processing ballots returned by people on the voter rolls whom the government considers “likely noncitizens.” The state has demanded details about how federal authorities identified those individuals, but has not received the requested information.
Meanwhile, California has not acted on the list of 20,000 suspected noncitizens or agreed to set aside their ballots, Essayli said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office was quick to fire back at the prosecutor, insisting California follows federal law governing voter registration procedures.
“California adheres to Federal Law passed by Congress in the 1990s [see 52 U.S.C. 20504(c)(2) (Section 5 of the NVRA)]” Newsom’s press office wrote on X in response to Essayli’s post.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter delivered a blunt message Monday as he announced the 28 charges, making clear the Justice Department intends to press the issue.
“This Department of Justice will not look the other way while noncitizens vote in federal elections,” McCotter said. “Unfortunately the same can’t be said for California and LA County.”
