The American Democracy Minute Radio News Report & Podcast for Oct. 29, 2026
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October 28, 2026 12:46 pmOLYMPIA, WA — With Washington State’s ballots already in the mail, the U.S. Department of Justice is asking the state to “segregate” mail-in ballots from 405 registered voters that DOJ says have registered and voted illegally. Unlike California, there’s no threat of a lawsuit – yet.
An Oct 26th DOJ statement says, QUOTE: “Our offices will provide a list of individuals who appear to be illegally registered and ask the Washington Secretary of State that these individuals’ vote-by-mail ballots be set aside until these individuals’ citizenship status can be confirmed. Washington is now on notice that non-citizens are voting,” UNQUOTE.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs responded, QUOTE, “The timing of this request—one week before the General Election—is no doubt intended to cast unfounded suspicion on the results.” Hobbs continued, “Washington elections are secure. Cases of voter fraud, including noncitizen voting, are incredibly rare, and every voter attests to their eligibility by signing the declaration on their ballot return envelope in every election. Election officials take cases of suspected voter fraud seriously. These cases are investigated and referred to the county sheriff and prosecutor when appropriate,” UNQUOTE. Hobbs noted that one of the 405 cases cited was from 1994. Since then, over 113 million ballots have been cast.
We’ve linked to both statements at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources
U.S. Department of Justice – Federal data shows hundreds of non-citizens registered to vote in Washington
WA Secretary of State Steve Hobbs – Statement about Washington’s safe and secure elections
Washington State Standard – Feds allege over 400 noncitizens vote in WA; Hobbs disputes data
Oregon Public Broadcasting – Election officials in Southwest Washington say operations are running smoothly despite challenges
Bipartisan Policy Center – Four Things to Know about Noncitizen Voting
Related ADM Reports:
American Democracy Minute – Ninth Circuit Panel Dismisses Demand for California to Set Aside Ballots for Flagged Voters on DOJ’s Purported Noncitizen Voter List
Register or Check Your Voter Registration:
U.S. Election Assistance Commission – How to Register And Vote in Your State
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