Election 2026 California Noncitizen Voting

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations in nine states into whether noncitizens are registered to vote. U.S. District Court Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin in Oakland found the effort is relying on data that’s full of errors and that it’s intimidating groups doing voter assistance efforts. She said it should be halted until polls close on Election Day, Nov. 3. But Martinez-Olguin put her ruling, which was made Wednesday, on hold until Friday to give the administration a chance to appeal. In response, the Department of Homeland Security said it has no plans to investigate people it believes are U.S. citizens.

Most of the immigrants targeted by federal authorities in California this week for alleged voter fraud had applied for U.S. citizenship and now face charges related to lying on forms or during interviews. Those charges could lead to years in prison and thwart their efforts to naturalize. As of Thursday morning, the government had filed charging documents in 10 of the 28 cases. Federal authorities have charged more than two dozen legal permanent residents in California in a crackdown on people accused of illegally registering to vote or casting a ballot in U.S. elections.