Appeals Court Sends California Ballot Dispute to District Judge
An appeals court has declined to rule on a federal bid to set aside roughly 20,000 ballots in California, which the Justice Department alleges belong to noncitizen voters. The decision pushes the matter to a federal district judge for further…
Tucson, AZ, October 26, 2026 —
An appeals court has declined to rule on the federal government’s request to set aside roughly 20,000 ballots in California, sending the dispute to a federal district judge for further proceedings.
The Justice Department alleges that the ballots belong to noncitizen voters. The summary of the case does not provide details about the basis for that allegation, the elections involved, or how the ballots were identified. The allegation has not been described as a finding by the court.
The appeals court’s decision moves the matter to the district court rather than resolving the federal bid at the appeals level. The district judge’s next steps and any eventual ruling were not provided. It is also not clear from the available information whether the judge has set a schedule for further proceedings.
The court names, the date of the decision, and the state or federal district involved were not specified. No information was provided about responses from California officials, voters, or other parties to the case. The summary also does not say whether the request covers ballots from a particular election or elections.
For now, the dispute concerns the Justice Department’s request to set aside the ballots and the appeals court’s decision to leave further proceedings to a federal district judge. The roughly 20,000 figure refers to the ballots at issue in the federal bid; the available information does not establish that a court has determined they were cast by noncitizens.
Story summarized from the original created by AP via Scripps News Group on www.kgun9.com, see more information here.
