The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the then-Trump administration's bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots. Legal disputes over voter rolls continue.

Trump administration used federal immigration data to challenge state voter rolls. State officials and voting rights groups argued the data was inaccurate and misused. Legal challenges increased throughout October 2026. These cases illustrate the conflict between federal oversight and state-managed election processes during the 2026 cycle.

1. The Trump administration identified 20,000 people as likely non-citizens. The administration filed a lawsuit against California on October 15, 2026, to stop the counting of those votes.

2. Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, dissented from the October 30, 2026, ruling. He characterized the administration's petition as a reasonable request.

3. The administration charged 28 people in California with violating federal election laws linked to allegations of non-citizen voting.

1. On October 30, 2026, a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld a lower court ruling. The lower court found that the Trump administration's list of non-citizen voters lacked credibility. The panel had previously rejected an emergency petition in the case on October 26, 2026.

2. US District Judge David Carter ruled on October 28, 2026, that the administration's request to set aside ballots violated constitutional principles regarding state control of elections.

3. The court directed the government to share this data with lawyers from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and the UCLA Voting Rights Project.

4. A grand jury summoned at least three Los Angeles County election officials to testify on November 4, 2026. The inquiry focuses on federal communications regarding allegations of non-citizen voting.