The Justice Department announced Monday that it has charged 28 individuals in California with unlawful voting and other election-related crimes. The charges come after the department sent a list of approximately 20,000 names to California last week, suspecting these individuals of being illegally in the United States and having received mail-in ballots for the upcoming midterm election.

This action follows a lawsuit filed by the DOJ against California on Thursday, alleging the state failed to review and act upon the provided list of potential non-citizen voters. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter stated that neither California nor Los Angeles County challenged the DOJ's findings or proposed collaborative efforts to verify citizenship.

McCotter indicated that some of the 28 charged individuals are green card holders. The offenses include unlawful voting by an alien, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote or register, and knowingly depriving residents of a fair election process. The DOJ also stated it has not ruled out prosecuting election workers involved in processing ballots.

Officials in California have characterized the DOJ's request as legally baseless and an attempt by the Trump administration to interfere with the state's election procedures. This assertion comes after numerous legal challenges by the administration regarding state election processes.

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan stated last week that his office would not access the provided thumb drive containing the DOJ's list. He cited concerns that opening the drive, delivered with a password on a sticky note, would conflict with established data privacy and information security protocols, deeming the device an insecure medium.

More than 16 million votes were cast in California during the last presidential election. Nationally, over 150 million people voted in the same election. While President Trump and Republican leaders have raised concerns about non-citizen voting, experts generally maintain that such cases are exceedingly rare.

The DOJ's move has intensified scrutiny on election integrity ahead of the midterm elections. The department's actions suggest a willingness to pursue legal recourse against both individuals and potentially state election officials perceived as non-compliant.

Questions remain regarding the thoroughness of the DOJ's vetting process for the initial list of 20,000 names and the specific evidence supporting the charges against the 28 individuals. The state's response highlights a significant tension between federal oversight and state-level election administration.