Wire reporting: (AP, via LAist)

The U.S. Justice Department sent letters Friday to California county elections offices asking them to identify voters on a federal list, produce related records within 48 hours and sequester ballots whose citizenship cannot be verified, according to the Los Angeles Times and AP-based accounts^6,2,3.

The letters follow a federal lawsuit against California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan that seeks to stop counting of roughly 20,000 people the department describes as likely noncitizens. AP-based accounts and ABC10 reported a hearing in that case is scheduled for Tuesday^2,3,4. AP-based accounts said the administration also asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to act by Saturday if a district judge had not ruled^2,3.

A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles told the Times that 57 of California's 58 counties were served the letters, with the exception of Los Angeles, which had already received a notice⁶. Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber told the Times she knew of at least 15 counties that received similar letters⁶. AP-based accounts, citing the L.A. County registrar, had said at least 18 counties received letters^2,3.

Webber said a letter sought action on 81 names within 48 hours, the Times reported⁶. A letter to Contra Costa County cited 407 people, according to the Times⁶. A letter to San Bernardino County described 1,133 names, according to AP-based accounts^2,3. ABC10 reported that Nevada County's letter listed 10 people and that Solano County's letter listed about 160 names⁴.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said any election official who knowingly processes a noncitizen's ballot faces legal jeopardy, according to the Times and AP-based accounts^6,2,3.

Solano County interim Registrar John Gardner told ABC10 a sample of about 12.5% of the county's list found more than half of those sampled registrations already canceled, one as early as 2006, and that the list appeared outdated⁴. Nevada County Registrar Armando Salud-Ambriz said the office was following state and federal law and consulting county counsel and the secretary of state's office⁴.

Kristin Connelly, Contra Costa County's elections chief, said, "This threat is not helpful and is intended to intimidate"⁶. State and L.A. County lawyers have opposed the demands in court, arguing federal data are unreliable and that citizens could be blocked from having ballots counted^2,3,6. Sen. Alex Padilla said the department lacked authority to interfere in California elections^3,6.

Whether counties will sequester any ballots, how courts will treat the 48-hour demand, and how many names on the federal lists are registered and eligible remains unresolved in the public record cited here^2,3,4,6.