Federal prosecutors asked Washington to set aside ballots tied to 405 alleged noncitizen voters, citing federal data and possible 1,500-plus illegal votes.
Story Snapshot
- Justice Department flagged 405 registered voters as likely noncitizens and asked Washington to segregate related ballots.
- Prosecutors said many on the list are lawful permanent residents, who cannot vote in U.S. elections.
- Officials estimated more than 1,500 ballots were cast by the group across multiple elections.
- Washington’s Secretary of State questioned the list’s accuracy and is reviewing the request.
DOJ Flags 405 Suspected Noncitizen Voters and Seeks Segregated Ballots
The Department of Justice asked Washington to set aside ballots linked to 405 registered voters identified as likely noncitizens. Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano sent the request to Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. The Justice Department said it would share the names with the state and cited federal records as the basis for the list. The request seeks to preserve election integrity while the state verifies each person’s citizenship status.
The Justice Department said many flagged individuals are lawful permanent residents, often called green card holders. Federal law allows them to live and work here but does not allow them to vote in U.S. elections. Prosecutors said the flagged individuals were registered and that voting history suggests they cast ballots in multiple elections. Officials estimated the total exceeds 1,500 ballots, though the public materials did not list a ballot-by-ballot count.
Washington Responds With Accuracy Concerns and Due-Process Steps
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs confirmed his office received the list and said staff are reviewing it. Hobbs raised concerns about accuracy, noting one record dated to 1994 and warning that federal matching systems can misidentify citizens as noncitizens. He said his office would respond through proper legal channels to protect eligible voters and follow state and federal law. State officials described noncitizen voting as very rare in Washington based on their recorded cases.
Hobbs’s office points to 15 recorded noncitizen voting cases between 1982 and 2025, a tiny share of the state’s ballots. That history shapes the state’s caution about broad database matches. The Justice Department’s request does not accuse every listed person of a crime today. It asks for ballots to be set aside while citizenship is confirmed. That approach protects lawful votes while flagging potential illegal votes for review, a balance that supports clean rolls and voter confidence.
Evidence Gaps, Verification Needs, and What Comes Next
Federal prosecutors said the list draws on information from the Department of Homeland Security, but they did not release the names, matching fields, or document scans to the public. Reporting indicates investigators did not yet have official ballot-cast records, which the state controls. That creates a gap between a suspected noncitizen match and proof that a specific person returned a specific ballot. Closing that gap will require controlled data sharing and case-by-case checks.
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
Election integrity demands careful work. Washington can compare the flagged names to citizenship updates, naturalization dates, and ballot histories under legal safeguards. The Justice Department can provide a redacted index that shows why each person was flagged and when the status record was created. If someone became a citizen before voting, the state can clear that record. If someone is not a citizen and voted, authorities can remove the voter, segregate the ballots, and consider charges as the facts support.
Sources:
cbsnews.com, thehill.com, justice.gov, commondreams.org, abc6onyourside.com
