Federal Prosecutors Allege Hundreds of Noncitizens Cast Over 1,500 Ballots in Washington State

Federal prosecutors announced Monday that investigators have identified 405 individuals believed to be non-citizens who have participated in Washington state elections, allegedly casting more than 1,500 ballots across multiple election cycles. Neil Floyd, the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, stated that federal authorities have transmitted these names to state election officials with a formal request to set aside any ballots submitted by these individuals until their legal eligibility can be definitively verified.

While expressing high confidence in the verified findings, Floyd suggested that the documented instances represent only a fraction of a broader issue. He noted that the initial figures stem from a limited sample and that the total number of non-citizens participating in state elections could ultimately reach into the thousands. According to investigative reports, the 1,500 ballots identified thus far were allegedly cast over the course of several decades.

The announcement comes ahead of the upcoming November 3 midterm elections. To identify the suspected voters, Department of Homeland Security investigators cross-referenced publicly available Washington voter registration lists with federal databases to flag individuals lacking U.S. citizenship, subsequently verifying whether those flagged persons had actually participated by casting ballots.

Floyd pointed to procedural hurdles stemming from state data policies, noting that Washington has declined to provide federal authorities with its complete voter registration database containing personal identifying information. Because of this restriction, investigators reported having to conduct manual verifications on a case-by-case basis to ensure record accuracy. Floyd asserted that access to the state’s full database would have allowed for a much more efficient comparison yielding immediate results.

In light of the findings, the acting U.S. attorney warned that federal prosecutors intend to pursue criminal charges against individuals who knowingly cast illegal ballots, as well as against anyone who knowingly assists them in doing so.

The development parallels similar legal and administrative battles in other jurisdictions. In California, Los Angeles County officials recently informed a court that they are unable to independently verify the citizenship status of voters beyond the self-certification provided on registration forms. Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against California to prevent the state from counting mailed ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters flagged by federal officials as likely non-citizens until their eligibility is verified, a move state officials have contested.