Feds Demand Answers From California

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That late shift immediately sparked criticism from election watchdogs and transparency advocates who argued that Californians deserve greater visibility into how ballots are processed after Election Day.

Essayli added fuel to the debate Sunday when he highlighted California’s voter identification policies in a post on X.

“California allows first-time voters to register using forms of ID that most Americans would find surprising,” Essayli wrote.

He pointed specifically to identification methods that can include health club membership cards, employee identification cards, credit cards, debit cards, prescription labels, and insurance documents under certain circumstances.

California regulations currently permit those forms of identification in specific cases when applicants do not provide either a driver’s license number or a Social Security number during the registration process.

Essayli argued that the policy warrants closer scrutiny from federal authorities.

“Our office believes this policy deserves a closer look,” he wrote. “If California genuinely wants voters to trust its elections, it should open its records, not fight to keep them closed. What are they afraid of?”

Beyond identification requirements, Essayli also raised questions about whether the state is adequately cleaning up its voter registration database. He pointed to concerns involving deceased voters, individuals who have relocated outside California, and people who may no longer be eligible to vote because of felony convictions.

Another area of concern involves ballot collection practices, often referred to by critics as ballot harvesting.

“On top of that, California allows third parties to collect and turn in ballots on voters’ behalf (a practice known as ballot harvesting) with few restrictions,” he wrote. “This makes it difficult to track who actually received, completed, and submitted each ballot.”

The federal government has reportedly been attempting to obtain access to California’s statewide voter registration records for more than a year. Officials say the review is part of an effort to determine whether the state is complying with federal election laws designed to prevent fraud and ensure voter lists remain accurate.

Essayli recently shared a letter dated August 2025 that was sent by the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.

In the correspondence, federal officials requested access to the state’s voter registration records so they could evaluate compliance with requirements established under the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

According to the DOJ, federal law gives the attorney general broad authority to obtain election-related records and independently assess whether voter registration systems are being properly maintained.

“California cannot limit the Justice Department’s access to mere inspection of the requested voter registration records,” the department led by Harmeet Dhillon wrote.

“The Justice Department is entitled to a full and complete copy of those records in the form in which California maintains them.”

Federal officials also sought copies of voter registration applications submitted between December 1, 2023, and July 1, 2025. The DOJ contends that federal statutes supersede the privacy protections California has cited as justification for withholding the requested information.

The dispute has now escalated into a significant legal battle. According to Essayli, the matter is currently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, setting the stage for what could become a landmark ruling on federal authority and election oversight.

California law generally requires registrants to provide either a driver’s license number, a state-issued identification number, or the last four digits of a Social Security number. When those identifiers are unavailable, election officials may assign a unique identifying number to the applicant.

The state’s election regulations also include an extensive list of documents that can be used by certain first-time federal election voters to satisfy identity verification requirements under the Help America Vote Act.

As the legal fight moves forward, the outcome could have far-reaching consequences not only for California but for election administration across the nation. Supporters of the federal review argue that transparency is essential to restoring public trust, while opponents contend that voter privacy must remain protected. Either way, the battle over California’s voter rolls is rapidly becoming one of the most closely watched election integrity disputes in America.