Judge Restricts DHS Election Investigations in Nine States

A federal judge in California temporarily barred the Department of Homeland Security from conducting election-related field investigations in nine states when they involve or are likely to involve U.S. citizens, finding the operations risked intimidating eligible voters. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said the administration’s voter-matching lists could be unreliable because no federal database verifies the citizenship of all U.S. residents. The injunction covers California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin, and was intended to remain in effect through the close of polls on November 3. The judge put the order on hold until Friday to give the Trump administration an opportunity to appeal. The ruling followed a lawsuit by voting-rights groups and local governments; DHS said it was targeting noncitizens who vote, while reported instances of noncitizen voting remained rare.