Donald Trump warns California officials of prison over noncitizen ballot counting

President Donald Trump promised severe punishment for California election officials who intentionally count ballots cast by alleged noncitizens in the upcoming midterm elections, the Washington Examiner reported. In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump wrote that officials who do so will go to jail for a long period of time. The Washington Examiner and the New York Post both reported that the Justice Department sent a warning letter to California officials. [1][2]

The Justice Department letter warned that election workers risk becoming aiders and abettors to a federal crime if they knowingly process or tabulate noncitizens' ballots, according to the Washington Examiner and the New York Post. The New York Post noted that the letter was sent to Los Angeles County officials ahead of Election Day. [1][2]

The warning follows a federal lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against California. Axios and the New York Post both reported that the lawsuit seeks to prevent the state from counting ballots from approximately 20,000 alleged noncitizens found on the voter rolls. [2][3]

California was admitted to the Union in 1850 as the 31st state and holds the largest economy of any American state, with a gross domestic product reaching 4.1 trillion dollars in 2025. [9]