Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
On the eve of the US midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block California from counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters who federal officials allege are likely non-US citizens.
Escalating a legal fight that could affect thousands of voters, the Justice Department filed the emergency request as it seeks to prevent counting the disputed ballots until each voter’s citizenship status can be verified.
A federal appeals court refused the request on Friday.
Trump’s fellow Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress in Tuesday’s midterms. California is the most populous US state and a Democratic stronghold.
The administration has intensified its focus on alleged noncitizen voting in the run-up to the midterms.
“Once California commingles the challenged ballots with lawful ones, there is no way to get the challenged ballots back,” the Justice Department said in its request to the Supreme Court.
The administration is demanding that California separate any allegedly unlawful ballots from other ballots and not count them until those voters are determined to be US citizens.
It urged the court on Monday to act quickly by issuing that order on an interim basis while the justices formally decide the Justice Department’s request.
