US Justice Department sues California over disputed voter status

What happened

The US Department of Justice sued California, seeking limits on counting certain mailed ballots associated with more than 20,000 people the federal government suspects may be noncitizens.

Context and what is known

California officials disputed the reliability of the evidence. The allegations have not been proved in court and the affected people's eligibility must not be presumed either way.

What remains important

A federal lawsuit tests the government's arguments in court; it does not by itself prove that disputed votes were illegally counted. The complaint, state response and judicial orders need separate treatment. Voting rules vary by jurisdiction, so the legal question should be described as precisely as the filed case allows instead of suggesting every California ballot is under challenge.

Reporting source

Reuters — original reporting