Trump administration asks Washington to set aside hundreds of ballots from suspected noncitizen voters

The Trump administration's Justice Department asked Washington state on Monday to set aside any ballots received from more than 400 people it alleges are registered to vote without U.S. citizenship, the latest such demand after a similar request to California. In a letter to Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the department said it had identified 1,500 votes cast by those people in prior elections and asked that their midterm ballots be held until state officials confirm their eligibility. Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said the 405 identified voters were "the tip of the iceberg" and that state limits on the investigation had restricted the count; he said proving illegal voting would be difficult without state records. Hobbs said he was reviewing the request, called its timing one week before the election an attempt to cast unfounded suspicion on results, and said his office had received about 60 subpoenas. A federal appeals panel declined to rule on the California request's expedited timeline. Los Angeles County officials said a 200-record sample from a similar list included canceled registrations and apparent U.S.-born citizens.

Where accounts differ. Outlets differ on the detail of the request: NBC News and the Guardian report a 24-hour or timing emphasis, while the Hindu and Toronto Star omit Floyd's "tip of the iceberg" remark, which only the Guardian and NBC News quote.

Toronto StarThe HinduNBC NewsThe Guardian

Written by AI from these outlets' articles: facts they report, claims attributed, numbers checked against the sources. It may still contain errors; read the originals.