Justice Department orders Washington to pause 1,500 ballots
Federal officials claim 405 noncitizens voted in the state, triggering a one-week dispute before the general election.
By Jason Kovalenko ·
The Department of Justice claims 1,500 ballots cast by 405 alleged noncitizens are currently at risk of being counted in Washington state.
In a letter sent on Monday, federal officials asked Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to exclude these votes from the total until citizenship status is confirmed. The request arrives just days before the general election scheduled for Nov. 3.
Federal authorities identified the individuals by cross-referencing public voter registration lists with immigration records. Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd stated that the state lacks the resources to perform these checks independently. He added that federal agencies are working to remove illegal votes from the record.
Hobbs has pushed back on the federal findings. He called the timing of the request an attempt to create doubt about the election results. His office noted that only 15 instances of noncitizen voting occurred in Washington between 1982 and 2025. He also warned that the federal identification system often flags actual U.S. citizens and raises privacy concerns.
The Justice Department expects to send a second list of suspected noncitizen voters to the state before the election. The initial letter contained a typo, listing the general election date as Nov. 2. The actual election day is Nov. 3.
This dispute follows a court ruling last month that blocked the Justice Department from forcing Washington to hand over its voter rolls. Floyd said that state restrictions have limited his investigation. He estimated that the current list represents only a small portion of the total number of noncitizen voters in the state.
The Justice Department has not yet filed criminal charges against the 405 individuals on the list. Floyd indicated that some may face charges. Voting as a noncitizen is a felony that can lead to fines or prison time. In California, federal officials have warned local election officials they could face criminal charges if they count ballots from identified noncitizens.
The federal letter cites Washington law requiring county auditors to uphold registration rules. Floyd said the Justice Department will make criminal referrals to state counterparts. He declined to specify consequences if the state ignores the request. He stated that election workers who assist noncitizens in voting illegally could be guilty under aiding and abetting theories.
