U.S. sues California in fight over checking citizenship of mail voters

A voter drops a mail-in ballot at an official drop box inside City Hall during a primary election in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe federal government sued the state of California on Thursday in an escalating battle over how to prevent non-U.S. citizens from voting by mail in federal elections.The lawsuit asks a judge to prevent California officials from tabulating mail-in ballots "from likely non-citizens in the upcoming federal election until the voter's citizenship status can be determined."The Department of Justice asks that a judge order the state to set aside mail ballots from voters "identified by the Federal Government likely to be noncitizens," and to verify their citizenship status before their ballot is counted.The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.