Election Watch: California Prepares for Federal Ballot Seizure Attempts
The state has deployed legal teams to counties with tight congressional races as the Justice Department pursues charges against noncitizens and appeals ballot exclusion requests.
By Jonathan Ramirez ·
State election officials in California are preparing for potential federal actions to seize ballots and election records before Tuesday's midterms. Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to federal district court judges on Saturday, asking them to deny warrant requests that would allow agents to take ballots, records, or voting technology while an election is underway. Newsom argued that the state's strict chain of custody laws already preserve evidence, making federal seizures unnecessary.
The state has positioned election lawyers and volunteer monitors in areas where congressional races are expected to be close. Newsom said the state is serious about protecting the vote. He warned that if the administration attempts to interfere with ballots, the state will prosecute those who assist. He stated that Californians deserve a free and fair election and that is what the state intends to deliver.
Federal prosecutors are pursuing a parallel legal strategy. The Justice Department appealed a bid to block roughly 20,000 ballots from voters alleged to be noncitizens. The Supreme Court denied that request after lower courts had already rejected it. A separate judge also barred federal officials from demanding that the state segregate those same ballots. Despite these losses, the department continued its efforts to intervene in the state's election process.
Local and federal partners announced seven new criminal charges against noncitizens accused of illegal voting or registration. This brings the total number of lawful permanent residents charged with election-related offenses in the state to 35. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the charges are a sampling from the broader list of 20,000 individuals. He stated the goal is to get California to stop counting votes from noncitizens rather than to charge every person on the list.
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced one local charge from his county. He noted that he is investigating 63 suspected noncitizens registered to vote in his jurisdiction. Dow described California's voter registration system as an honor system that does not function effectively. He said more local cases may emerge as the investigation continues.
One of the federally charged individuals is Moria Dahan, 35, an Israeli national living in West Hills. Prosecutors alleged she made false statements on her naturalization application and voted in person in 2024. Her attorney, Tiffany Feder, said Dahan believed the forms she was filling out were official and required. Feder stated that the moment the issue was discovered during an interview, Dahan promptly withdrew her application for naturalization.
Election experts noted that the 20,000 flagged individuals represent less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the state's 23.4 million registered voters. They said most voters are unlikely to encounter problems. However, they warned that future interventions could threaten close races if the balance of power in Congress depends on a small number of contests.
