Orange County Refuses DOJ Requests for Non-Citizen Voting Data, Faces Federal Lawsuit

“Voting by non-citizens is a federal crime… The Department of Justice will hold jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal voting laws accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) filed suit in federal court against Orange County Registrar Robert Page’s refusal to provide unredacted records detailing the removal of non‑citizens from voter rolls. The complaint cites violations of both the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 and the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993, both of which require state and county election officials to maintain accurate voter rolls and comply with federal requests for information.

When Page was asked by the D.O.J. to provide records, he produced a heavily-redacted list and cited “several California statutes as the basis for the redactions.” After being told that federal election law supersedes state statutes—and that his actions run afoul of national mandates—Page reaffirmed that he would not comply. 

Page’s office has maintained it sought to cooperate by offering to provide unredacted data under a confidentiality or protective order. In correspondence by LAist, Deputy County Counsel James Steinmann asked if such an accommodation could be arranged. The DOJ did not agree, and within 24 hours the suit was filed.

“Voting by non-citizens is a federal crime, and states and counties that refuse to disclose all requested voter information are in violation of well-established federal elections laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a recent statement. 

“Removal of non-citizens from the state’s voter rolls is critical to ensuring that the State’s voter rolls are accurate and that elections in California are conducted without fraudulent voting. The Department of Justice will hold jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal voting laws accountable,” Dhillon continued.

The legal team includes U.S. Attorney Billy Essayli and DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Michael Gates, both of whom were relatively recently appointed by the Trump administration. Gates and Essayli, in their own ways, made waves nationally as a State Assemblyman and Huntington Beach City Attorney, respectively, for their willingness to challenge the status quo in Sacramento—especially with regard to election integrity. That has, of course, put them in the figurative crosshairs of California’s legislative supermajority on more than one occasion.

Democrat Assemblymember Avelino Valencia issued a statement condemning the lawsuit, arguing that the Registrar “complied with state law, provided requested records, and proposed a secure and lawful way to share additional data.” Similarly, Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento branded the suit as an “unnecessary intimidation tactic by the federal government, aimed at bullying our County Registrar.”

Conversely, OC Supervisors Don Wagner and Janet Nguyen expressed support for a thorough investigation to determine whether or not wrongdoing took place.

“We will be interested to see what the Department of Justice turns up. I’d like to see constituent concerns investigated, and if there is evidence of voter fraud, that it will be resolved,” Supervisor Nguyen said.

“I believe that we should have produced unredacted records to allow the DOJ to determine pursuant to the Help America Vote Act if these individuals have a right to vote under federal law,” said Supervisor Wagner. 

The DOJ’s lawsuit is part of a broader initiative aimed at ensuring compliance with federal voter‑roll maintenance standards. Under a March 25, 2025 executive order by President Trump, titled Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, the Department was tasked with verifying citizenship status and enforcing lawful voter list protocols. Similar legal challenges have been launched against other jurisdictions, including suits in North Carolina (late May) and Virginia (October 2024), over non‑citizen voting.

In Orange County, the DOJ was first tipped off by the family member of a non-citizen who received a mail-in ballot the family did not request. Records were found for an additional 17 non-citizens who were removed from voter rolls, but the full countywide breadth of illegal voting remains yet unknown. At the very least, there is cause for concern and a legitimate public interest in furthering the investigation. 

By extension, whether or not Page will comply with the DOJ also remains yet unknown.