Judge denies federal request to segregate California ballots, says it would 'wreak havoc' on voting – News4JAX

Judge denies federal request to segregate California ballots, says it would ‘wreak havoc’ on voting  News4JAX

A federal judge has rejected a Trump administration request to stop California from processing the ballots of up to 20,000 people, warning it would “wreak havoc” on the midterm elections. FILE – Ballots are inspected the day after California's primary election at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center, June 3, 2026, in City of Industry, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) LOS ANGELES – A federal judge rejected on Wednesday a Trump administration request to stop California from processing the ballots of up to 20,000 people over allegations they are likely noncitizens, warning it would “wreak havoc” on the midterm elections. The ruling by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter comes as more than 3.7 million people have already voted in the state.

Over 500,000 votes have already been counted. The decision is the latest legal setback for President Donald Trump in his efforts to expand federal control over state-run elections ahead of voting that will decide control of Congress for the rest of his term. The Republican administration sued election officials in the Democratic state in mid-October, accusing the officials of failing to meet a 48-hour deadline to review a list of 20,000 people it alleged were likely noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls. The federal government's request, Carter wrote, “would wreak havoc and disrupt the election that