Trump administration asks Supreme Court to halt count of over 20,000 California mail ballots

Washington: The administration of President Donald Trump on Monday made an emergency request to the United States Supreme Court to temporarily stop the state of California from counting mail ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters. According to the report, federal officials allege that these voters are probably not United States citizens.

The Department of Justice filed the request. It wants the disputed ballots not to be counted until the citizenship of each voter is verified. The legal dispute has intensified and could affect thousands of voters in the 3 November midterm elections.

In these elections, Trump’s Republican Party is trying to keep its control of Congress. California is the largest state in the United States by population and is considered a stronghold of the Democratic Party.

According to the report, the administration has stepped up its focus on alleged voting by non-citizens ahead of the elections. Trump has made false claims about widespread voting fraud in the country, including about the 2020 election, in which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. According to a number of studies and state audits, voting by ineligible people, including non-citizens, is rare.

The US Constitution gives states the responsibility for running elections, although the federal government also has some powers of oversight.