Judicial Watch, a renowned watchdog organization, has turned its sights on California, filing a lawsuit against state election officials for what it claims is a blatant disregard for maintaining the integrity of the voter rolls.
.@TomFitton: “Places like California, who are seemingly hemorrhaging citizens tired of the socialist politics, maintain power in Congress because of new non-citizens, including illegal aliens.https://t.co/Pw4Dy0xuJt pic.twitter.com/23ZhNkvqWV
— Judicial Watch ⚖️ (@JudicialWatch) May 16, 2024
The lawsuit, brought forth this month, accuses California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) of failing to comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), which mandates regular maintenance of voter lists.
According to Judicial Watch, a mere 11 registrants were removed from voter rolls across 21 California counties between November 2020 and November 2022. Shockingly, 16 of these counties didn’t remove a single registrant, despite boasting nearly six million total registrants.
.@JudicialWatch is doing the work of the DOJ when it comes to enforcing the law on election integrity! Judicial Watch is doing the heavy lifting in federal court with lawsuits to clean the voter rolls! We just filed massive lawsuit to clean the voter lists in California!… pic.twitter.com/p4bCW8FTFg
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) May 16, 2024
In stark contrast, San Diego County, within the same timeframe, purged over 130,000 registrants from its 2.3 million-strong voter rolls.
Furthermore, Judicial Watch alleges that 16 other counties failed to disclose their removal figures. These undisclosed counties, which make up nearly a third of the state’s population, raise concerns about transparency and accountability in California’s electoral processes.
“Dirty voting rolls can mean dirty elections. And California’s voting rolls continue to be a mess,” remarked Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton in a scathing statement. Fitton highlighted that while previous litigation had compelled the state to eliminate over a million outdated names from its voter rolls, much more work remains to be done.
This isn’t the first time Judicial Watch has clashed with California authorities over voter roll maintenance. In a settlement reached last year with Los Angeles County, over 1.2 million inactive registrants were removed from the voter rolls, following Judicial Watch’s legal action alleging negligence in roll upkeep.
Under the terms of the settlement, Los Angeles County must annually report the number of inactive voters removed from its rolls. These inactive voters, who have ignored official notices and abstained from voting in consecutive federal elections, pose a risk to the integrity of the electoral process.
Since the settlement, Los Angeles County has axed over 1.2 million inactive registrants, a move hailed by Judicial Watch as a “historic victory” that mitigates fraud risks in California elections.
With its latest lawsuit, Judicial Watch seeks a similar overhaul in counties where voter roll maintenance appears lax, underscoring the imperative of preserving the sanctity of the electoral process.
