CHIRLA and UCLA Voting Rights Project Notify Justice Department of Planned Emergency Motion to Protect California Voters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alberto Lammers, alberto@uclavrp.org

CHIRLA and UCLA Voting Rights Project Notify Justice Department of Planned Emergency Motion to Protect California Voters

LOS ANGELES (October 14, 2026) — Today, UCLA Voting Rights Project (VRP) attorneys, including Senior Advisor Xavier Becerra, representing the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and California voter Pedro Trujillo notified the U.S. Department of Justice that they will seek emergency court relief over the federal government’s use of federal databases to identify registered California voters as alleged noncitizens.

According to the letter, the Justice Department recently gave California officials, including officials in Los Angeles County, 48 hours to remove or segregate voters identified through the federal government’s review. The VRP plaintiffs contend that the government’s use of these lists is unlawful and could result in eligible citizens being wrongly targeted less than a month before the election. Furthermore, the Justice Department’s demands would force California election officials to violate the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which prevents the purging of voters from voter rolls 90-days prior to a federal election. 

“The federal government should not be pressuring California election officials to act on an unreliable list, at all. Regardless, voters should have a meaningful opportunity to learn whether they have been targeted by federal officials and an opportunity to correct inaccurate information before their Right to Vote is disturbed,” said Chad Dunn, legal director of the VRP. “We are seeking immediate court ordered safeguards to prevent eligible citizens from being wrongly removed or segregated in the final weeks before the election.”

“The federal government’s attempt to pressure California election officials into acting on lists that may misidentify eligible voters is an alarming abuse of power as election season gets underway.  This puts our communities and our fundamental rights at risk. Citizenship is citizenship. Period. The federal government must stop undermining federal and state law, sowing fear, and attempting to silence voters. CHIRLA and UCLA Voting Rights Project will uplift every eligible Californian’s right to vote and ensure that our democracy remains a place where every voice counts,” said Carl Bergquist, CHIRLA General Counsel. 

The letter invites the Justice Department attorneys to meet and confer on the request before it is filed and expect a response by then. Plaintiffs will ask the Court to prevent the federal government from using the voter lists while the lawsuit moves forward. If that request is not granted, they will ask for protections allowing California voters to find out whether they are on a federal list and confirm their citizenship.

Read the letter here.

Background

CHIRLA and Trujillo filed the lawsuit on September 2, 2026, challenging the federal government’s use of databases—including the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system—to identify registered voters as alleged noncitizens and pressure states to alter their voter rolls. The lawsuit alleges that the process inaccurately targets naturalized citizens, infringes voters’ constitutional and privacy rights, and unlawfully interferes with state election administration.

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ABOUT the UCLA Voting Rights Project

The UCLA Voting Rights Project was established to protect equal voting rights for all Americans through strategic litigation, social science research and policy advocacy. The VRP seeks to ensure that all individuals are afforded equal access to the electoral process and representation in governance. For more information about the UCLA Voting Rights Project, please visit vrp.ucla.edu.