US appeals court rejects Trump bid to discard 20,000 California ballots

The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the Trump administration’s petition to set aside 20,000 mail‑in ballots in California, ruling the request unconstitutional.

The decision was issued on Friday, less than four days before the November 3 mid‑term elections. The majority judgment, written by Judges Mark Bennett and Gabriel Sanchez, warned that the petition would risk disenfranchising eligible voters and could lead to the cancellation of ballots and removal of voters from the rolls.

Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, dissented, describing the petition as a “reasonable request”. The administration had claimed the ballots were cast by “likely non‑citizens” and had sued the state on 15 October to prevent their counting.

Officials in California have said no evidence has been provided to substantiate the list of alleged non‑citizen voters, and similar lists in Nevada and Washington have been found to be inaccurate. The state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, called the lawsuit a “sad, desperate attempt” to suppress voters.

Non‑citizen voting is illegal in all 50 US states, and the Constitution’s Elections Clause gives states exclusive authority over election administration. The court’s ruling leaves the 20,000 ballots to be counted in the upcoming election.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Christian Gutiérrez Martínez / Pexels.