LA Officials Admit No Independent Way to Verify Voter Citizenship
Los Angeles election officials admit they lack independent means to verify voter citizenship, sparking legal and political debate.
2 min read
Los Angeles election officials have admitted to a federal court that they lack an independent method to verify the citizenship of voters, according to a recent legal filing. Bill Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, highlighted this admission in a statement, emphasizing the potential implications for election integrity.
Federal Court Declaration on Voter Verification
The declaration submitted by the assistant registrar-recorder for L.A. County to a federal court on Tuesday stated that the Registrar is not equipped or authorized to verify voter citizenship beyond the attestation provided by voters. The document noted that the Registrar relies on the sworn representation of voters and does not conduct additional verification of citizenship status, as required by federal and state law.
“The Registrar is not equipped or authorized to verify voter citizenship because it does not independently house citizenship-related information beyond the voter attestation as identified in federal and state law (such as, among other things, immigration records, travel records, naturalization records, etc.) and certainly is not equipped to do so within the election period,” the declaration stated.
Essayli Calls Out Admission
In a Tuesday social media post, Essayli criticized the admission, calling it a “massive concession.” He pointed out that election officials had effectively admitted that they do not independently verify the citizenship of registered voters.
“Massive concession: Los Angeles election officials just told a federal court they have no independent way to verify citizenship beyond what voters attest. (They simply take their word for it.) Under federal law, only citizens may vote in federal elections,” Essayli posted to X.
Massive concession: Los Angeles election officials just told a federal court they have no independent way to verify citizenship beyond what voters attest. (They simply take their word for it.) Under federal law, only citizens may vote in federal elections. Yet California has not… pic.twitter.com/F51pJz9481
Essayli continued by stating that American citizens’ votes are being diluted in California, as the state has not acted on the list of 20,000 suspected noncitizens or agreed to set aside their ballots. This has raised concerns about the accuracy and integrity of the voting process in Los Angeles.
On Friday, U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter sent a letter to L.A. Assistant County Counsel Peter M. Bollinger, reminding him of the dataset provided by the DOJ of the suspected 20,000 noncitizens on the California voter rolls. Earlier this week, the Justice Department announced that 28 foreign nationals in California had been charged with federal crimes, including fraudulently registering to vote, with most of them alleged to have illegally cast and fraudulently obtained ballots.
Source: OANN
