California Counties Told To Quarantine Suspicious Ballots

I’m sitting here sipping my coffee, reading this article, and I just can’t help but raise an eyebrow. The Justice Department has ordered California election officials to identify suspected noncitizens on voter rolls and set aside their mail-in ballots. Because, you know, that’s not a huge undertaking or anything. I mean, who doesn’t love a good game of “find the noncitizen” in the middle of an election season? Folks, this is getting interesting.

The Trump administration is really doubling down on these claims of voter fraud, despite a lack of evidence. I’m not saying it’s not a concern, but come on, let’s not cry wolf just yet. They’re warning that officials who knowingly count ballots cast by noncitizens could face criminal liability. Okay, got it. So, now we’re not only trying to run an election, but we’re also trying to be citizenship detectives. This is like something out of a movie.

The Justice Department sent letters to California county election officials, asking them to work with the Department of Homeland Security to identify who’s a citizen and who’s not. Because, you know, that’s not a complicated process at all. I’m sure it’s just a simple matter of checking a few boxes and, voila! You’re a citizen or you’re not. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a letter to San Bernardino County officials that if persons knowingly tabulate ballots cast by individuals identified as noncitizens, they risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime. Hmm, I wonder if they’ll start issuing citizenship tests with the ballots.

This all started with a demand from Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, who gave Los Angeles County and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber 48 hours to review a federal list of suspected noncitizens who had been sent mail-in ballots. McCotter threatened to seek “emergency relief” if officials did not comply. Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we’ve got a full-blown “voter fraud” saga on our hands.

The earlier letter, sent on October 13, included a password-protected thumb drive containing names of people the administration “believes are likely non-citizens” who had been sent ballots for the November election. It asked officials to temporarily set aside ballots from people whose citizenship could not be confirmed, rather than cancel their registrations. Los Angeles County Clerk Dean C. Logan said that maintaining accurate voter registration records is a fundamental responsibility of their office. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

The administration has repeatedly alleged that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens are on voter rolls. In August, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said his department had identified 250,000 people it believed were noncitizens and registered to vote in four states, including California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. But, as it often does, the devil is in the details. Initial findings have not held up under further review, and some states have found that the suspected noncitizens are, in fact, US citizens.

Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) called the administration “afraid and desperate” in response to Friday’s letters. He said that the Trump administration has not provided any evidence for their claims of massive voter fraud and that they’ve admitted that the data they point to is inaccurate and unreliable. Padilla also stated that the administration does not have the authority to interfere with elections. Bless their hearts, they just won’t give up on this voter fraud thing.

In conclusion, this whole saga is a big mess, and I’m not sure what’s more exhausting, the election itself or the drama surrounding it. The Trump administration is trying to take a strong stance on voter fraud, but it’s just not sticking. As I finish my coffee, I’m left wondering what’s next in this wild ride. Will we finally get to the bottom of this voter fraud business, or will it just continue to be a partisan punching bag? Only time will tell, folks. And, on a lighter note, I hope whoever is in charge of the Justice Department’s coffee budget is getting a raise, because they’re definitely going to need it to get through this election season.

Big Elephant

Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.

Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.