California officials prepare for federal ballot seizures before midterms

California state leaders are preparing for federal intervention in the upcoming midterm elections, with officials warning that the Trump administration may seek to seize ballots and election records. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a public statement on Monday asserting that the state is ready to prosecute any federal agents who attempt to meddle with the vote. The administration has increased its legal pressure on California election processes in the days leading up to the November 3 vote.

The Justice Department appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to block approximately 20,000 ballots from voters it alleges are noncitizens. Lower federal courts had previously rejected the request to set those ballots aside, and another judge barred officials from demanding that the state segregate them. The Supreme Court denied the administration's emergency request, leaving the lower court rulings in place. The 20,000 flagged individuals represent less than one-tenth of 1% of California's 23.4 million registered voters.

Federal and local prosecutors also announced new criminal charges against seven noncitizens accused of illegally voting or registering. 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 stated that the charges were a sampling from the broader list of 20,000 names. He said the goal was not to charge everyone on the list but to pressure California to stop counting votes from noncitizens. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced one local charge from his office, noting he has been investigating 63 suspected noncitizens on the federal list.

Newsom wrote to federal district court judges across the state on Saturday, urging them to deny warrant requests that would allow agents to take ballots or voting technology before results are certified. He expressed concern that federal agents would pivot to criminal courts after losing other legal battles. Attorney General Rob Bonta said Trump is intent on controlling the outcome and will use whatever methods necessary to get the results he wants, rather than letting the law determine the winner.

Election experts said most voters are unlikely to encounter problems at the polls. They noted that the administration has suffered multiple losses in court, including a federal judge dismissing a suit Sunday that sought to negate a potential win for a Democrat in the Alaska Senate race. That challenge was based on a claim that a third candidate with the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan was confusing voters.

Among the newly charged individuals is Moria Dahan, a 35-year-old Israeli national living in West Hills. She was charged with making false statements on her naturalization application after voting in person in 2024. Her attorney, Tiffany Feder, described the situation as a mix-up and said Dahan believed the forms she filled out were official requirements. Feder said the team promptly withdrew Dahan's naturalization application once the error was discovered.

State officials maintain that fraud is rare, pointing to the small number of arrests relative to the total voter population. Federal prosecutors argue the opposite, stating that the ongoing charges demonstrate the need for state officials to take the list of 20,000 names seriously. The legal dispute continues as both sides prepare for the election day proceedings.