Trump Administration Challenges Ballots And Deploys Agents
- As voting gets underway across the United States, the Trump administration has launched an aggressive, multi-pronged campaign to challenge ballot counts, send federal agents to voters' homes, and...
- The administration has filed lawsuits in California and Alaska that may be aimed at laying a foundation to challenge results or contest certification after Election Day.
- In Alaska, the DOJ sued to prevent the state from certifying the results of a U.S.
As voting gets underway across the United States, the Trump administration has launched an aggressive, multi-pronged campaign to challenge ballot counts, send federal agents to voters’ homes, and threaten local election officials with criminal prosecution.
Federal Lawsuits Target Ballot Counts in California and Alaska
The administration has filed lawsuits in California and Alaska that may be aimed at laying a foundation to challenge results or contest certification after Election Day. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated Thursday that the Department of Justice is looking at additional states for potential legal action, though he would not say whether those actions could come before Election Day. In California, federal officials demanded that state and Los Angeles County election officials verify the citizenship of more than 20,000 listed voters or prevent their mail ballots from being counted. After U.S. District Judge David O. Carter did not rule by an Oct. 23 noon deadline requested by the DOJ, the department appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In Alaska, the DOJ sued to prevent the state from certifying the results of a U.S. Senate election if the Democrat wins. President Donald Trump told journalists he personally directed the DOJ to bring the case. Meanwhile, the DOJ has inserted itself into an ongoing fight over how Michigan administers its election.
Federal Agents and Election Monitors Deployed Nationwide
Beyond the courtroom, federal immigration agents have gone door to door questioning people about whether they registered or voted.
At the same time, the DOJ is preparing to deploy roughly 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states for the Nov. 3 election — about three times the number during the last midterm cycle. Criminal charges have been brandished against voters and election workers by federal prosecutors, alongside an alert issued on the opening day of early voting in Texas, “I will hunt you down.”
Unresolved Questions Over Post-Election Certification and Legal Authority
Criticism has come from voting rights advocates, state election administrators, and federal judges who argue that the initiative constitutes an abuse of federal authority that suppresses qualified voters and frightens poll workers. The administration insists it is trying to protect elections, not interfere with them.
It remains unclear whether the DOJ will file additional lawsuits against other states, or exactly how federal courts will rule on the pending challenges in California and Alaska as the post-election period approaches.