With Nov. 3 midterms approaching, the U.S. Justice Department on Oct. 15 sued
California election officials, asking a court to suspend counting of more than
20,000 mail ballots pending verification of voters' citizenship, saying those
individuals may be ineligible. California disputed the accuracy of the list and
the legal basis for federal intervention in state election administration. The
case highlights a federal-state confrontation over voter eligibility ahead of
the midterms.
