WA’s election chief says federal noncitizen voting list includes citizens

Washington’s top election official is calling on federal authorities to provide more evidence that the state’s voter rolls include hundreds of noncitizens, as a preliminary investigation reveals U.S. citizens are listed.

The state’s top federal prosecutors on Monday claimed Washington’s voter rolls included 405 ineligible noncitizens who had voted upward of 1,500 times in elections dating back decades. They called on Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to set aside their votes until they could be confirmed as rightful voters, but Hobbs countered that the information they provided contains “several glaring deficiencies,” including duplicate entries and the inclusion of unregistered voters.

“Without individualized proof of ineligibility, it would be both irresponsible and illegal for election officials to decline to process a registered voter’s ballot,” wrote Hobbs, a Democrat. “If you have individualized proof, I invite you to provide it so election officials can take appropriate steps that are consistent with federal and state law.”

Hobbs’ response on Wednesday potentially sets the stage for litigation from the Trump administration, similar to what’s been seen in California where the feds have argued ballots from 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters should not be counted in next week’s midterm elections. 

President Donald Trump has for months been trying to assert more federal authority over next Tuesday’s midterm election, which could see his party lose control of one or both chambers of Congress. 

Hobbs is trying to stave off litigation so local election officials can focus on their task at hand.

“Rather than distract these dedicated public servants from their important work at this late hour with a meritless lawsuit, I strongly encourage you to re-visit the deeply flawed data you provided earlier this week, identify any actual proof, and work collaboratively with my office in the weeks or months to come,” he wrote.

Hobbs called Monday’s public allegations from federal prosecutors Charles Neil Floyd from western Washington and Pete Serrano from eastern Washington “profoundly disappointing.”

“If you had valid concerns about voter registrations, the time to raise them was months ago,” the secretary of state wrote. “Your decision to wait until the eve of an election and announce those concerns at a press conference instead of timely providing the list and any corroborating evidence to my office is not a sign of good faith to ensure a free, fair, and accurate election.”

Emily Langlie, spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle, said the response from Hobbs had been received. Floyd and Serrano “will take some time to review it and decide next steps,” she said.

Hobbs claimed the list received from federal authorities included people who aren’t currently registered to vote or whose registrations are inactive. And many are U.S. citizens, a similar finding to other states that have faced similar accusations from the Trump administration. A spokesperson for Hobbs said it’s too soon to say how many exactly are citizens.

Hobbs also said the list of alleged noncitizen voters presented to the state contained no information sources or evidence supporting the claims of fraud.

“Given the Department of Justice’s recent acts of election interference in California, Alaska, and now in Washington, it would be particularly inappropriate for Washington to simply assume the Department’s unsupported allegations here are credible,” Hobbs wrote. 

The Trump administration is aiming to block the results of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if the Republican incumbent narrowly loses.

Voting is underway under Washington’s mail-in ballot system. Over 1.2 million voters have already returned their ballots, with turnout slightly outpacing 2022. One of the most pivotal congressional races in the country is in Washington’s 3rd District.