Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court to sideline 20,000 disputed California mail ballots

PBS NewsHour · Kim Chandler; David Fischer; Associated Press · 2026-11-02 17:53 UTC

President Donald Trump’s administration has appealed to the Supreme Court in its push to require California election officials to set aside thousands of disputed mail ballots.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's administration appealed to the Supreme Court on Monday in its push to sideline thousands of disputed California mail ballots the day before the pivotal midterm elections.

The emergency appeal came after a divided appeals court rejected the request to set aside ballots from some 20,000 people the federal government suspects may not be citizens. It also came just hours before another federal judge ruled against the administration's efforts to make last-minute changes in California's election.

The federal government says those ballots should not be counted until the voters' status can be verified. California officials say the list is highly unreliable and likely includes many people who are U.S. citizens.

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