Attorney General Bonta Scores Early Legal Victory Against Trump Administration’s Attempt to Interfere in California Elections

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit dismissed the Trump Administration’s request to segregate and not count any mail-in ballots that may be returned by approximately 20,000 individuals it “believes” are “likely” noncitizens. The federal government attempted to bypass normal court processes by seeking relief directly from the Ninth Circuit without first obtaining a trial court order. Attorney General Bonta strongly opposed the request, arguing that the Ninth Circuit had no authority to decide the issues at this early stage of the proceedings. He also argued that the federal government has no legal basis to override California’s election laws. The Ninth Circuit heard oral argument yesterday. At yesterday’s hearing, the Trump Administration was unable to explain where it obtained a list of purportedly registered California voters that appears to contain significant inaccuracies, how it used the list to identify approximately 20,000 individuals as “likely” noncitizens, or what role any unidentified non-governmental third parties played in the process.

“The U.S. Constitution gives states and Congress — not the President or the Executive Branch — the power to determine the time, place, and manner of elections. The court’s order serves as an important step in our efforts to protect Californians’ right to vote and our state’s authority to run fair and secure elections,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “All the evidence — counts, recounts, hand counts, audits — shows that voter fraud is exceedingly rare. Consistent with federal law, California has safeguards in place to protect election integrity and those who break the law should be held accountable. We will fight back against the Administration’s unlawful overreach at every turn.” 

“Today’s ruling is a positive development and a welcome speed bump to Trump’s disgusting attacks on the Constitution and our country’s democracy. I have been sounding the alarm since last year, when Trump illegally federalized the California National Guard — Trump is illegally trying to seize powers in the Constitution entrusted to others so he can stay in power. This lawsuit is just the latest step,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Make no mistake: Trump’s assault on democracy won’t slow down. Each and every one of us can do something: participate in democracy, don’t become disillusioned. Vote early, go to a vote center, put your ballot in a dropbox. If everyone who cares about democracy participates, this election won’t be close — and none of Trump’s lies or conspiracy theories will be able to call that result, and the will of people, into doubt. California is fighting back. And we are calling on all Californians to do the same.”

In a court filing opposing the federal government’s emergency motion for an injunction pending appeal, Attorney General Bonta also explained that the federal government’s last-minute demands threaten eligible voters’ rights and would disrupt an election already underway, based on nothing more than highly unreliable claims of noncitizenship. For example, the Trump Administration provided the LA County Registrar-Recorder with a list of approximately 20,000 individuals and, more recently, provided similar lists to local elections officials across the state. In a preliminary review of 200 names from the list, the LA County Registrar-Recorder found major discrepancies in the Trump Administration’s list: More than half had canceled or inactive registrations, 38.9% listed a U.S. birthplace, and 71.2% had no voting history. Additionally, in Mendocino County, the Clerk-Recorder found that every individual on the list provided by the federal government lived outside the county. 

The Trump Administration’s latest attempt to interfere in California’s elections follows years of efforts to undermine election results and voting rights:

• After losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, President Trump pressured Georgia officials to “find” 11,780 votes, fueled the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as Congress certified Biden’s victory, and continues to falsely claim that he won the 2020 presidential election — even seizing ballots from that election in Fulton County, Georgia, in January 2026 as part of efforts to relitigate the results.
• The Trump Administration sought to impose new restrictions on voting and election administration through executive orders that courts have found unlawful, including the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling led by Attorney General Bonta blocking the Administration’s attempts to seize control of mail voting nationwide.
• In July 2026, the Trump Administration initially alleged that California had more than 190,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls, which the Trump Administration reduced to about 20,000 — a 90% decrease from their earlier allegations — before bringing this litigation. This mirrors the Trump Administration’s accusations against Nevada, where the Trump Administration initially claimed that Nevada had nearly 16,000 noncitizen voters. It later reduced that number to 185 voters and has not provided evidence to support its claim that all of the 185 individuals are noncitizens.
• The Trump Administration recently sued to block certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate election if the Republican candidate loses.