Judge rejects Trump’s request!
Washington, Oct 28 (EFE).-
A United States federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Donald Trump administration’s request to set aside more than 20,000 mail-in votes in California to verify the citizenship of voters, warning that the measure would “wreak havoc” and alter an election that is already underway.
Judge David O. Carter, of the Central District of California, considered that the Department of Justice’s request would violate the state’s autonomy to organize its own elections and would put the right of American citizens to vote at risk.
“Individuals who have met the requirements of California’s voter registration laws must not be deprived of a core right merely because of unfounded allegations stemming from a procedure rife with uncertainty and errors,” Carter wrote.
The department filed the lawsuit on Oct. 15 after identifying, along with the Department of Homeland Security, more than 20,000 people it considers potential non-citizen voters.
The government requested that election authorities set aside their ballots and verify their citizenship before counting them, but California questioned the reliability of the list and rejected the request.
The dispute occurs as early voting is already underway. California authorities warned that separating identified ballots would be difficult, since votes are detached from envelopes with voter data during processing, and could lead to delays and uncertainty in the count.
The judge also warned that the measure could discourage electoral participation and harm voters with the right to vote.
The dispute is part of the Republican administration’s efforts to increase federal supervision of electoral processes, less than a week before the Nov. 3 legislative elections, in which Congress will be renewed. EFE
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