U.S. Department
of Justice
Election Integrity - California
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Enforcement Updates
| Agency | Action |
|---|---|
| DOJ Ensures General Election Military Ballots Are Sent Early to Comply With Federal LawDOJ works for months to ensure all military voters' ballots are counted. DOJ meets with election officials months before election day to ensure the State guarantees all military voters are sent ballots not later than 45 days before the election. September 18, 2026 |
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| DOJ Warns State Officials of Their Criminal Liability Regarding Illegal VotingDOJ notified state officials of their duty to prevent illegal voting. DOJ reminded them that it is a crime to intentionally allow ineligible persons to vote or conspire to interfere with another person's constitutional rights. July 7, 2026 |
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| DOJ Criminally Prosecutes California Woman for Paying People to Register to Vote52 U.S.C. 10307(c) makes it a felony to pay someone to register to vote, but California woman Brenda Lee Brown Armstrong did it anyway. Armstrong paid homeless people living on Los Angeles' Skid Row to register so she could collect more paid signatures for petition campaigns. DOJ brought charges against her, and she pled guilty. May 7, 2026 |
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| DOJ Ensures Primary Election Military Ballots Are Sent Early to Comply With Federal LawCalifornia has more active military servicemembers than any other state. DOJ meets with election officials in California months before election day to ensure the State guarantees all military voters are sent ballots not later than 45 days before the election. April 18, 2026 |
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| DOJ Sent Election Monitors to Fresno County to Ensure Federal Law ComplianceDOJ sent monitors to Fresno County during their special election to monitor operations. This is part of DOJ's efforts to make sure state officials maintain records, prevent illegal voting, and keep elections free and fair—required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. November 4, 2025 |
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| DOJ Sent Election Monitors to Los Angeles County to Ensure Federal Law ComplianceDOJ sent monitors to Los Angeles County during their special election to monitor operations. This is part of DOJ's efforts to make sure state officials maintain records, prevent illegal voting, and keep elections free and fair—required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. November 4, 2025 |
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| DOJ Sent Election Monitors to Kern County to Ensure Federal Law ComplianceDOJ sent monitors to Kern County during their special election to monitor operations. This is part of DOJ's efforts to make sure state officials maintain records, prevent illegal voting, and keep elections free and fair—required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. November 4, 2025 |
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| DOJ Sent Election Monitors to Orange County to Ensure Federal Law ComplianceDOJ sent monitors to Orange County during their special election to monitor operations. This is part of DOJ's efforts to make sure state officials maintain records, prevent illegal voting, and keep elections free and fair—required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. November 4, 2025 |
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| DOJ Sent Election Monitors to Riverside County to Ensure Federal Law ComplianceDOJ sent monitors to Riverside County during their special election to monitor operations. This is part of DOJ's efforts to make sure state officials maintain records, prevent illegal voting, and keep elections free and fair—required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. November 4, 2025 |
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| DOJ Sued California for Failing to Provide Federal Election RecordsUnder the Civil Rights Act of 1960, DOJ is responsible to protect against malfeasance with respect to all records requisite to voting and may inspect state-held federal election records to ensure their integrity. DOJ requested California's records, but the state refused to provide them. DOJ then sued to obtain the records. September 25, 2025 |
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| DOJ Sued Orange County, CA for Withholding Voting Records and Registering Noncitizens to VoteDOJ sued Orange County, California for registering and mailing ballots to noncitizens and for not disclosing to DOJ records it is legally required to disclose to the public on request. This violates both Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act and Section 303 of the Help America Vote Act. June 25, 2025 |