Los Angeles, California – June 8, 2026
U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli Says California Continues to Block Federal Audit of Voter Rolls
U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli stated that state officials are continuing to block a federal audit of California’s voter registration rolls more than a year after the Department of Justice first sought access. Essayli said his office has identified multiple state policies that have raised concerns about election administration.
Those policies include allowing first-time voters who cannot provide a Social Security number or driver’s license to register using alternative forms of identification. Accepted documents include gym membership cards, employer identification cards, credit or debit cards, and prescription drug labels. The state also permits the use of insurance cards, which has drawn scrutiny because California provides state-funded health coverage to certain individuals regardless of immigration status.
Additional concerns cited by the office include delays in removing deceased voters from the rolls and limited restrictions on third-party ballot harvesting.
Federal Authority and Legal Dispute
Essayli said federal law grants the Attorney General authority to review state voter files to confirm that only eligible U.S. citizens are voting in federal elections.
“For over a year, the Department of Justice has been trying to audit California’s voter rolls,” Essayli wrote. “Federal law gives the Attorney General the authority to review state voter files and confirm that only eligible U.S. citizens are voting in federal elections.”
He added that California has refused to comply, citing state privacy laws. Essayli stated that those laws do not apply to the federal government in this context.
“AAG Dhillon sent California a letter explaining our legal authority,” Essayli wrote, referring to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. “California refused to comply, claiming state privacy laws block the review, an argument that does not hold up because those laws don’t apply to the federal government in this context.”
The Justice Department has filed suit against California. The case is currently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Context of Ongoing Ballot Counting
Essayli’s statements come as California continues processing hundreds of thousands of ballots from the June primary election. In the Los Angeles mayoral race, preliminary leads have shifted as additional ballots were counted in the days following Election Day. Critics have pointed to the pace of counting and changes in vote totals as reasons for concern about election integrity.
Essayli said that if California wants voters to trust its elections, the state should allow the federal review rather than fight to keep records closed.
“If California genuinely wants voters to trust its elections, it should open its records, not fight to keep them closed,” he wrote. “What are they afraid of?”
California officials have previously defended the state’s election system, stating that existing safeguards are sufficient and that there is no evidence of widespread irregularities affecting outcomes. The dispute over federal access to voter rolls continues as the legal case proceeds.
