Days before key votes are counted, federal prosecutors asked Washington to set aside about 400 ballots tied to alleged noncitizen voters, citing Department of Homeland Security data and estimating more than 1,500 past ballots at issue.
Story Snapshot
- Justice Department named 405 registered voters and asked Washington to segregate their ballots pending verification.
- Federal attorneys said many on the list are lawful permanent residents, who cannot vote in U.S. elections.
- Washington’s Secretary of State questioned the list’s accuracy and noted one record dates to 1994.
- No criminal charges were filed, and officials have not released underlying records or methods.
What Federal Prosecutors Requested From Washington
Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano sent a letter to Washington’s Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs, identifying 405 registered voters who they say are noncitizens. They asked the state to segregate ballots linked to those names until officials confirm each person’s status. The Justice Department said the list came from the Department of Homeland Security and that many of those named are lawful permanent residents, not citizens.
Federal officials said the identified individuals were not only registered but had voted in multiple elections. Floyd estimated that the total exceeds 1,500 ballots over time. The request focused on an immediate safeguard—setting aside ballots—while verification occurs. Prosecutors framed this as a temporary step to protect election integrity without pre-judging every ballot. They did not seek a court order at the time of the announcement.
What Evidence Is Public—and What Is Not
The government has not publicly released the names, the matching fields, or the records used to identify noncitizens. Prosecutors also acknowledged they did not hold the official ballot-cast records that would link each person to specific elections; they relied on public voter information. No criminal charges were filed tied to the 405 cases at the time, so there are no affidavits or court records yet to review.
The lack of disclosed methods leaves several open questions. The time period covered was not stated. The figure of more than 1,500 ballots is an aggregate estimate without a ballot-by-ballot accounting. Without dates, it is not clear whether any listed person later became a citizen before voting, or whether data errors inflated matches between immigration records and voter rolls.
How Washington Officials Responded
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs confirmed receipt of the letter and raised concerns about the list’s accuracy. His office said one record dates to 1994 and warned that the system used by federal officials can flag citizens as noncitizens, which risks lawful votes. Hobbs said voter fraud is rare in the state and that his team is reviewing the request to ensure any response follows state and federal law.
Hobbs has often stressed base rates. His office has identified 15 noncitizen voting cases from 1982 to 2025, a tiny share of all ballots cast. That history does not settle the current dispute, but it sets an important context for readers tracking claims of large-scale fraud. The state has not said when its verification will finish or how many of the 405 names, if any, will be confirmed as noncitizens.
Why the Timing and Transparency Matter
The request arrived days before a midterm vote count, which invites questions about election-season moves by any administration. The Justice Department did not publish the detailed evidence needed for the public to verify its claim. Washington did not release its independent assessment yet. That leaves voters caught between dueling statements. Absent shared data, trust leans on institutions that many Americans already suspect of serving the powerful over the public.
DOJ Asks Washington to Set Aside Ballots From More Than 400 Suspected Noncitizen https://t.co/u0WTfOMbf9
— Restored Republic (@R_republic_411) October 27, 2026
This dispute tracks a national pattern. Officials sometimes cite database matches to warn about noncitizen voting, while others note that many matches fall away under closer review due to outdated records, naturalizations, or clerical errors. Here, both sides can act to restore trust. Federal and state officials could share a redacted, case-level index, conduct joint verification, and explain how they will avoid false positives while removing ineligible names. Clear rules and shared facts calm hot debates.
What Readers Should Watch Next
Watch for three things. First, whether Washington confirms any names as noncitizens after a person-by-person check. Second, whether the Justice Department secures the official records needed to tie names to specific ballots and dates. Third, whether any case leads to charges or to corrections of the voter roll without criminal action. Each outcome says something different about the scale of the problem and the system’s ability to fix errors fast.
Sources:
thehill.com, justice.gov, commondreams.org, abc6onyourside.com, cbsnews.com
