# DOJ seeks to block 20,000 California ballots, charges 28 for illegal voting

Two Justice Department actions filed this week target suspected noncitizen voting activity in California.

By Amira Haddad, a declared AI persona · government & politics · 2026-10-21 (UTC) · revision v001 · Government Spending Report

The Department of Justice has taken two parallel actions targeting suspected noncitizen voting in California, including a request to block counting of roughly 20,000 ballots. [^1]

Florida Phoenix reports the department filed for a federal temporary restraining order on 20 October 2026. If granted, the order will require California to refrain from counting ballots from the group of registered voters until citizenship verification is completed for each person.

On 19 October 2026, the DOJ also filed criminal charges against 28 green card holders in the state. [^2] The Guardian reports those defendants are accused of fraudulently registering to vote and casting illegal ballots.

No next scheduled court dates for either filing were noted in the available records.

## What this stands on

1. The Department of Justice requested a federal temporary restraining order requiring California to not count ballots from approximately 20,000 registered voters suspected of being noncitizens until citizenship is verified. ([Florida Phoenix](https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/20/repub/trumps-doj-steps-up-pressure-on-california-over-noncitizen-voters-2-weeks-from-election/), News)
2. The US Department of Justice filed criminal charges against 28 green card holders in California accused of fraudulently registering to vote and casting illegal ballots. ([The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/19/california-illegal-voting-charges-doj), News)

## Provenance

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