Hobbs says ballots cannot be set aside without evidence — The Hill

In the United States, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs told the Department of Justice that, without individual evidence that voters do not meet eligibility criteria, officials cannot refuse to process the ballots of registered voters. The department had asked for the ballots of more than 400 people whom federal authorities described as likely non-citizens of the United States to be set aside.

Justice Department request

As The Hill reports, earlier this week the U.S. Department of Justice sent Hobbs a letter asking state election authorities to set aside the ballots of people whom, according to the department, had unlawfully registered to vote. In the letter, the department also stated that these voters had cast about 1,500 ballots in previous elections.

The federal agency asked that these people’s ballots be set aside in the upcoming midterm elections until state authorities confirm their eligibility to vote. This concerns the U.S. Department of Justice’s claims regarding the voters’ status.

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Hobbs’ response

In his response, Hobbs asked the department to provide individual evidence so that election officials could take action in accordance with federal and state law. He called the timing of the letter extremely disappointing, since the state had mailed ballots to all active registered voters no later than October 16, while the request arrived less than a week before Election Day.

According to Hobbs, his office regularly consults with the Department of Justice during the months leading up to elections, so questions regarding voter registration, if there were reasonable grounds, should have been raised earlier. The Hill requested comment from the U.S. Department of Justice.