Washington state secretary of state fires back at DOJ over noncitizen voter claim: ‘Profoundly disappointing’

Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs shot back at the Justice Department (DOJ) for asking him to order his election officials to set aside ballots for hundreds of people the federal government identified as alleged non-U.S. citizens.

In a Wednesday response to the DOJ’s request, Hobbs said, “Without individualized proof of ineligibility, it would be both irresponsible and illegal for election officials to decline to process a registered voter’s ballot.”

“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 added.

Earlier this week, the DOJ sent a letter to Hobbs, pushing Washington state election officials to set aside ballots from more than 400 people they said had illegally registered to vote.

In the letter, the department said it had found 1,500 ballots the identified voters had cast in prior elections, The Associated Press reported. The DOJ then asked Washington to set aside any ballots from the alleged noncitizens in the upcoming midterm elections until state officials confirmed their voting eligibility

“The timing of your letter is profoundly disappointing,” Hobbs told the DOJ. “As your letter makes clear, you are aware Washington mailed ballots to all active registered voters no later than October 16. Despite that, you sent your letter well after that date and barely one week before Election Day.”

“As you know, my office holds regular consultations with your office in the months leading up to elections. If you had valid concerns about voter registrations, the time to raise them was months ago,” the Evergreen State official added.

Washington is a reliably blue state, with its government having a history of clashes with the Trump administration.

Officials across multiple states have played defense against President Trump’s election crackdown, with his administration doubling down on unsubstantiated widespread voter fraud claims ahead of November’s midterms.

The president said in July the U.S. has “shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure,” pointing to a 2020 federal probe into Michigan voter registration. He also at the time took aim at California — which is similarly engaged in a legal battle with the DOJ over alleged noncitizens on its own voter rolls.

The Hill has reached out to the DOJ for comment.