{"id":2645909,"date":"2026-08-17T08:24:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T12:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigncalifornia-admits-it-doesnt-track-noncitizens-on-voter-rolls-as-federal-law-requires\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T08:28:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T12:28:19","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigncalifornia-admits-it-doesnt-track-noncitizens-on-voter-rolls-as-federal-law-requires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigncalifornia-admits-it-doesnt-track-noncitizens-on-voter-rolls-as-federal-law-requires\/","title":{"rendered":"California Admits It Doesn&#8217;t Track Noncitizens On Voter Rolls"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaigncalifornia-admits-it-doesnt-track-noncitizens-on-voter-rolls-as-federal-law-requires%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2645909&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article highlights concerns over California\u2019s handling of voter roll integrity and potential noncitizen voting. Despite assertions that noncitizen voting is a myth, the ACLJ&#8217;s public records requests revealed the state does not track or record removals of noncitizens from voter rolls, as its system lacks a specific category for citizenship cancellations. While California verifies voter eligibility through self-attestation and administrative checks against death records, felony, and DMV data, it admits to having no formal policy or records regarding investigations into illegal voting or referrals for prosecution. Federal law mandates states to retain records on safeguards used to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-lose-challenge-over-late-arriving-mail-ballots-in-nevada-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Re...ans lose challenge over late-arriving mail ballots in Nevada - Washington Examiner\">maintain voter roll accuracy<\/a>, but California has acknowledged it does not keep such records for noncitizens, raising legal and transparency concerns. The ACLJ plans to pursue further legal actions to address these deficiencies in California&#8217;s recordkeeping and enforcement related to voter integrity.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>For years, Americans have been told that concerns about noncitizens voting are a myth, a right-wing talking point unworthy of serious attention. California\u2019s own secretary of state and attorney general have proven otherwise, however, not by admitting the state has no idea whether, or how often, it\u2019s even happening, but by indicating the state isn\u2019t bothering to track it.<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks ago, the ACLJ submitted two California Public Records Act (CPRA) requests \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/election-law\/aclj-cpra-request-to-examine-california-department-of-state-records-regarding-voter-registration-and-voter-fraud\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one to the California secretary of state<\/a> and one <a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/election-law\/california-doj-response-to-acljs-california-public-records-act-request\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to Attorney Genera<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/election-law\/california-doj-response-to-acljs-california-public-records-act-request\">l Rob Bonta\u2019s office<\/a> \u2014 seeking records on how the state maintains the integrity of its voter rolls. The Attorney General\u2019s Office took an extension, ultimately responding on Aug. 10.<\/p>\n<p>The Secretary of State\u2019s Office responded first, but refused to provide any records responsive to our request. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/election-law\/california-secretary-of-state-response-to-california-public-records-act-request\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">its answer<\/a>, the statewide voter registration system simply \u201cdoes not contain\u201d a specific cancellation reason for non-citizenship. In other words, the state cannot tell us how many noncitizens have ever been removed from its voter rolls \u2014 because it doesn\u2019t keep that information at all.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a summary of <a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/election-law\/california-secretary-of-state-response-to-california-public-records-act-request\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our records requests<\/a> to the secretary of state, and how California responded to each: First, we asked for the number of voter registrations that were canceled because the registrant didn\u2019t meet citizenship requirements. California said its system \u201cdoes not contain a voter status reason for cancellation due to non-citizenship.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Second, we asked for records on the programs the state uses to keep its voter rolls accurate and current. California pointed to training manuals showing that new registrants are checked against death records, felony records from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and DMV change-of-address records \u2014 but not citizenship (aside from a self-attested checkbox).<\/p>\n<p>Third, we asked for records on how the state handles complaints submitted through its Election Voter Complaint form. Rather than treat this as a records request, California treated it as a question, provided no records, and said only that complaints are forwarded to Elections Division staff for further review or investigation. <\/p>\n<p>Fourth, we also asked for the outcomes of investigations into illegal voting. California said it simply \u201cdoes not maintain\u201d those statistics.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Attorney General\u2019s Office Also Just Confessed<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Our second records <a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/election-law\/california-doj-second-response-to-acljs-california-public-records-act-request\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">request<\/a> \u2014 to Attorney General Rob Bonta\u2019s office \u2014 came due on Aug. 10, and the response we received doesn\u2019t inspire any more confidence than the secretary of state\u2019s did.<\/p>\n<p>We asked California\u2019s DOJ for three things: Records on the programs and activities the state uses to keep its official voter rolls accurate and current; records on the state\u2019s policies for handling investigative referrals of illegal voting; records on the outcomes of those illegal-voting referrals, with private information about the individuals involved excluded.<\/p>\n<p>The answer to our second request was blunt. The California DOJ responded to our FOIA, stating it has no records \u201ccontaining or addressing \u2018policies\u2019 that are specific to handling \u2018investigative referrals for illegal voting.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s own Department of Justice \u2014 the agency charged with enforcing the state\u2019s election laws \u2014 has no written policy for what happens when someone reports illegal voting. Not redacted. Not withheld. Nonexistent.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the fact that the CA secretary of state promised us that referrals were made for prosecution (though it keeps no record of them), the CA DOJ says they have no policy regarding such \u201cinvestigative referrals for illegal voting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for the other two requests \u2014 the records on how the state actually safeguards its voter rolls and what happens once an illegal-voting referral is made \u2014 the DOJ says it found records that could be responsive, but needs more time to review them for redactions and exemptions. We\u2019re now told to expect that response on or about Aug. 27.<\/p>\n<p>The problem for California? Federal law requires every state to maintain records showing how it safeguards the accuracy of its voter rolls and to make those records available to the public. Specifically, the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/52\/subtitle-II\/chapter-205\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">52 U.S.C. \u00a7 20507<\/a>, requires each state to retain, for at least two years, and make available for public inspection, records <a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=(title:52%20section:20507%20edition:prelim)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">showing<\/a> how it works to keep its official voter rolls accurate and current.<\/p>\n<p>But California\u2019s secretary of state just admitted in writing that it keeps no such records regarding the removal of noncitizens from its rolls. That\u2019s convenient. But it\u2019s also unlawful.<\/p>\n<p>To be clear, this isn\u2019t a case of the state simply lacking a category for record-keeping in general. California\u2019s own system does track cancellations for other reasons \u2014 death, moving out of state, felony convictions \u2014 that strip voting rights. Those categories exist and are documented. The one category missing is citizenship. That\u2019s not an oversight; that\u2019s a choice.<\/p>\n<p>And here\u2019s where the state undermines itself. In that same response from the secretary of state, California pointed out that voters must attest, under penalty of perjury, that they meet every eligibility requirement, including citizenship, and that state law clearly bars noncitizens from registering.<\/p>\n<p>Translation: Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s illegal. But if the state isn\u2019t tracking when that law gets broken, and someone is removed for violating it, and the attorney general (potentially) isn\u2019t keeping records of investigative referrals of illegal voting, that reassurance is hollow. You cannot claim a safeguard is working if you have no records showing whether it\u2019s ever been triggered, or how it\u2019s been investigated.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also worth noting that California doesn\u2019t require proof of citizenship or lawful presence for a certain category of driver\u2019s license, AB 60 \u2014 the same kind of licensing pathway that triggered New Jersey\u2019s noncitizen voter roll problem. And driver\u2019s licenses are used to establish identity.<\/p>\n<p>The ACLJ isn\u2019t done here. We\u2019re pressing for the records that California\u2019s DOJ says it\u2019s still reviewing, and depending on what \u2014 or what isn\u2019t \u2014 in that response, our options range from further legal demands to potential litigation for noncompliance with state and federal recordkeeping laws.<\/p>\n<p>The California Secretary of State\u2019s Office has now told the country that it doesn\u2019t know how many noncitizens have been removed from its voter rolls, and the Attorney General\u2019s Office admitted that it has no formal policy for investigating illegal voting when it\u2019s reported. That\u2019s not a technicality. That\u2019s a transparency failure in need of further investigation.<\/p>\n<p><em>Take action with the ACLJ. Sign our petition: <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/aclj.org\/election-law\/defend-election-integrity-and-the-constitution-2?utm_source=FedPost&#038;utm_campaign=d-08142026_top-EL_con-ElectionIntegrity2_var-Backlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Defend Election Integrity and the Constitution.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jordan Sekulow is the executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). He is an attorney and cohost of &#8220;Sekulow,&#8221; a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >syndicated radio program providing cutting analysis<\/a> of today&#8217;s political and legal landscape with elected officials and conservative leaders.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California officials admit they don\u2019t track noncitizen voting<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4318,"featured_media":2645910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Copy-of-Untitled-2026-08-14T144737.656.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4045,34382,13833,50432],"class_list":["post-2645909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-california","tag-election-security","tag-noncitizens","tag-voter-registration-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Copy-of-Untitled-2026-08-14T144737.656.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4318"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2645909"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2645913,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645909\/revisions\/2645913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2645910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2645909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2645909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2645909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}