Major California County Not Being Transparent Over Removal Of Noncitizens On Voter Rolls: DOJ

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Orange County, California, for allegedly not handing over all documentation proving election officials are actively removing noncitizens from their voter rolls.

Federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Robert Page, who serves as the Orange County Registrar of Voters, for allegedly refusing to comply with DOJ requests to provide records on the removal of noncitizens from the country’s voter registration list, according to a press release from the department. The administration further alleges that Page is violating the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) by failing to maintain an accurate voter list.

“Voting by non-citizens is a federal crime, and states and counties that refuse to disclose all requested voter information are in violation of well-established federal elections laws,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in a prepared statement.

“Removal of non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls is critical to ensuring that the State’s voter rolls are accurate and that elections in California are conducted without fraudulent voting,” Dhillon continued. “The Department of Justice will hold jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal voting laws accountable.”

Acting upon a complaint from a relative of a noncitizen in Orange County who allegedly received an unsolicited mail-in ballot, the Attorney General’s office requested Page had over a trove of documentation, according to the DOJ’s lawsuit. The DOJ requested the number of voter registration records in Orange County that were canceled since January 2020 because of citizenship requirements, and accompanying information regarding each cancelation.

Page responded to this request with a chunk of related documentation on June 16, according to the lawsuit. However, prosecutors are alleging that his office redacted pertinent information, such as California driver’s license and identification card numbers, Social Security numbers and other critical details.