Federal Prosecutors Say More Than 400 Noncitizens Voted in Washington, Seek Ballot Review
Washington — Federal prosecutors in Washington said October 26 that they identified more than 400 people they believe are noncitizens who registered and voted in previous elections, and asked state election officials to set aside their mail ballots pending citizenship verification.
The announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western and Eastern districts of Washington prompted a response from Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, whose office questioned the reliability of the federal screening system and said it was reviewing the request.
According to the Justice Department’s announcement, many of the individuals identified are lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders. That status permits them to live legally in the United States but does not establish U.S. citizenship or eligibility to vote in Washington elections.
“We have identified over 400 non-citizens who are registered to vote and have voted in multiple elections,” Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said.
Floyd said investigators would continue examining potentially unlawful registrations and voting. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano, of the Eastern District, said the purpose of providing the information to state officials was to protect citizens’ votes.
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Federal prosecutors requested that ballots associated with the identified individuals be segregated until their citizenship status could be confirmed. The announcement did not identify the individuals, detail the verification process or announce criminal charges against anyone on the list.
Prosecutors also said they had heard from green card holders who reported being registered without their knowledge through Washington’s Motor Voter program. According to the release, some subsequently received ballots and assumed they were eligible to vote. The announcement did not specify how many people reported that experience.
The federal review follows a July letter from the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division notifying Washington’s secretary of state that officials were examining records for potential noncitizen registrations.
In an October 26 response, Hobbs’ office said it was assessing the federal request for compliance with state and federal law. It said the system used by DOJ frequently flags eligible U.S. citizens as noncitizens and noted that one record in the federal letter dated to 1994.
The office also cited federal restrictions on removing voters within 90 days of a federal election. It said suspected voter fraud is investigated and referred to county sheriffs and prosecutors when appropriate.
“We take our responsibility to protect voter information seriously and will only respond to requests that follow due process,” Hobbs said.
Federal prosecutors warned that knowingly submitting false citizenship information on voter registration applications can lead to criminal prosecution. They identified fraudulent voter registration and false statements in naturalization applications as potential felony charges carrying maximum prison terms of five years.
The federal announcement seeks further citizenship verification. Whether the identified individuals were ineligible when they registered or voted remains central to the dispute.
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