NewsKQED NewsNovember 1, 2026San Francisco County
Analysis Finds Over 40% of Names on DOJ Noncitizen Voter List Missing From California Rolls
Photo: KQED News
An independent analysis of a Department of Justice list of alleged noncitizen voters in California shows that 42% of the names do not appear on the state's voter rolls, while thousands of U.S. citizens may be incorrectly flagged. The findings were submitted in a legal filing Saturday following a federal judge's order requiring the administration to share the data.
Read the full story at KQED NewsWhy It Matters
The accuracy of the federal voter list determines whether election officials must separate ballots during the count, affecting the voting rights of thousands of registered residents and the legal exposure of state officials.
Key Facts
- An analysis by UCLA Voting Rights Project data analysts found that 8,880 names, or 42% of the DOJ's list of alleged noncitizen voters, do not appear in California's current voter file.
- The analysis identified at least 22 individuals on the list who are confirmed U.S. citizens.
- Researchers found that nearly 7,500 naturalized citizens in California were highly likely to be incorrectly flagged as ineligible using the government's methodology.
- The DOJ demanded that California election officials separate 20,930 ballots during the vote count on Election Day.
- A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to share the disputed list with plaintiffs and separately ordered the DOJ to stop sending demands to state officials.
- The Trump administration appealed the federal judge's Friday ruling on Saturday.
- The administration reportedly removed voter identification numbers from the names on the list, which researchers identified as a crucial data point for verification.
- The Trump administration also urged Washington state to remove 400 possible noncitizens from its voter rolls.
- Federal prosecutor Bill Essayli called the UCLA-backed analysis bogus.
Who's Mentioned
PersonKiersten V. Pels“Spokesperson for the Department of Justice.”PersonDonald Trump“President commenting on legal rulings against his administration's voter separat”PersonBill Essayli“Federal prosecutor running the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles who called ”OrganizationCoalition for Humane Immigrant Rights“Immigrant rights group that filed a lawsuit challenging the DOJ list.”OrganizationHomeland Security Department“Department sued by CHIRLA and the UCLA project in early October.”OrganizationDepartment of Justice“Department that used the list to threaten prosecution of election officials.”locationCalifornia“State where the voter rolls and targeted ballots are located.”OrganizationTrump administration“Administration that flagged possible noncitizen voters in California.”locationWashington“State urged by the Trump administration to remove possible noncitizens from its ”PersonXavier Becerra“Democratic candidate for California governor and adviser to the UCLA Voting Righ”OrganizationUniversity of California, Los Angeles“Institution where data analysts conducted the analysis.”