Justice Department Targets Washington Voters One Week Before Election

Acting U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd sent a formal letter to Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on Monday, identifying the voters and asserting that these cases represent only the “tip of the iceberg.” Floyd’s office claims these individuals have cast 1,500 ballots in prior cycles. Hobbs has pledged to review the request but emphasized that he will only comply with procedures that guarantee due process, citing concerns that the late-stage demand is intended to harass voters and generate unfounded suspicion regarding the upcoming results.

This push mirrors recent federal efforts in other states, which have largely failed to produce evidence of widespread fraud. In Nevada, federal authorities claimed to have found 16,000 noncitizens on voter rolls, but a subsequent audit revealed that all 185 individuals on the final list provided by the Department of Homeland Security were actually citizens. Similarly, a federal appeals court recently blocked an attempt by the administration to discard 20,000 mail-in ballots in California, where investigations identified only 28 suspected noncitizen voters—roughly 0.0001% of the registered electorate.

Beyond Washington, the Department of Justice is simultaneously challenging the certification process in Alaska, where it seeks to block the final count in a tight U.S. Senate race between incumbent Dan Sullivan and challenger Mary Peltola. Attorney General Todd Blanche has defended these interventions, though critics and election officials view the coordinated legal pressure as a strategic attempt to undermine confidence in democratic outcomes.