San Benito County Registrar of Voters Francisco Diaz confirmed that armed federal agents visited the elections office on Lana Way on Oct. 23 and hand-delivered a letter from the Department of Justice that included a list of noncitizens who are allegedly registered to vote locally.
Diaz revealed the visit from two federal agents in an Oct. 24 press release. The agents presented federal badges and the letter titled “Notice of Suspected Likely Aliens on the San Benito County Voter Roll.”
The letter included a list of 33 people who had registered to vote in San Benito County, and gave Diaz’s office 48 hours to respond, says the press release. A review by the ROV found that not all the listed people are currently registered to vote here.
“The central premise of the DOJ’s demand was the assertion that noncitizens were improperly registered to vote and receiving vote-by-mail ballots,” says the press release. “While the ROV remains fully committed to participating in lawful criminal investigations, this expedited demand was not a judicial court order or formal criminal subpoena.”
Diaz added that the DOJ letter requested private details such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license information and voter application records. The agents’ letter also asked that vote-by-mail ballots for those on the list be segregated pending verification of their citizenship.
He said that local election officials will continue to follow state laws and statutory election procedures, and are reviewing the DOJ demand with legal counsel before releasing any nonpublic information or changing standard processes.
“While the ROV is firmly committed to upholding election integrity and will fully assist with any legitimate investigation, all inquiries must proceed through proper, authorized legal channels,” says the press release.
Diaz added, “Hand-delivering a letter via armed federal agents with an arbitrary 48-hour deadline does not circumvent state law. We will not be intimidated by agents with guns for simply doing our jobs, nor will we be rushed into compromising confidential voter data. We remain committed to balancing the needs of a proper investigation with our strict legal duty to protect the privacy rights of U.S. citizens through due process, not under pressure.”
The ROV reiterated that all eligible voters’ personal information remains secure.
When asked for details and a comment about the San Benito County incident, a DOJ spokesperson sent the following statement: “We are asking each county election official to commit to working with us by providing the necessary information for (Department of Homeland Security) to quickly verify citizenship status. With their help, we can ensure the most secure election in California history.”
