DOJ Escalates Battle: Feds Accuse California of Blocking Voter Roll Audit Amid Election Integrity Debate

Essayli also raised the contentious issue of ballot harvesting, stating, “On top of that, California allows third parties to collect and turn in ballots on voters’ behalf (a practice known as ballot harvesting) with few restrictions.” He argued this practice “makes it difficult to track who actually received, completed, and submitted each ballot,” raising further questions about ballot chain of custody and potential for fraud.

The California Attorney General’s office swiftly pushed back against Essayli’s assertions, pointing out that the DOJ had already suffered a defeat at the district court level in this case. The current pending Ninth Circuit battle, they clarified, is a direct result of the federal government’s appeal of that initial dismissal.