A federal lawsuit filed against California’s Secretary of State alleges the state maintains roughly 873,000 inactive voter registrations in violation of federal election law.
The complaint was filed in federal court by Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner and the American Independent Party of California, with assistance from Judicial Watch, a conservative government watchdog organization. The lawsuit claims California has failed to remove inactive registrations despite legal requirements under the National Voter Registration Act, commonly known as the “Motor Voter” law.
The Legal Challenge
According to the filing, federal law requires states to remove certain inactive voter registrations after voters fail to participate in multiple consecutive federal election cycles and do not respond to address verification notices. The plaintiffs allege that more than 873,000 registrations have remained on California’s rolls despite being inactive through at least three federal elections.
The lawsuit points to an even more concerning subset: over 151,000 registrations that allegedly remained active after four consecutive election cycles without any participation. California currently maintains more than 23 million registered voters, making it the largest voter registration system in the country.
The complaint argues that 20 California counties removed 50 or fewer inactive registrations over a recent period, despite census data showing substantial population changes and migration patterns within those areas.
Previous Actions and Ongoing Concerns
This is not the first time California’s voter rolls have faced legal scrutiny. In 2019, Judicial Watch reached a settlement with California and Los Angeles County that resulted in the removal of more than 1.2 million inactive names from voter registration lists.
Supporters of the current lawsuit argue that accurate voter rolls are essential for public confidence in elections and help prevent opportunities for fraud, duplicate registrations, and administrative errors. They contend that outdated registrations can create vulnerabilities within the election system.
State’s Response and Election Security Claims
California election officials have consistently maintained that the state’s election system is secure and employs multiple safeguards designed to prevent illegal voting. State officials point to verification procedures, signature matching requirements, voter identification checks, and criminal penalties for election fraud as evidence of system integrity.
The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling California to implement a more aggressive voter-roll maintenance program and remove registrations that no longer meet federal eligibility requirements. The case will now move through federal court, where judges will determine whether California’s practices comply with federal law.
This story has been updated. CNN’s Digital Team contributed to this report.
