Washington's elections office says DOJ's system flags legitimate citizens
Washington Secretary of StateOffice of the Washington Secretary of State, official release
The office criticizes the reliability of the matching system and says it jeopardizes eligible citizens' voting rights.
“The system the DOJ uses frequently flags legitimate U.S. citizens as noncitizens, jeopardizing their legal right to vote.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
DOJ seeks to segregate Washington ballots; Hobbs's office disputes its evidence
Federal prosecutors ask Washington to set aside ballots from more than 400 alleged noncitizens pending verification. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs challenges the data, timing and legal basis for the request.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Hobbs disputes the request's timing and the reliability of the matching process and invokes voter privacy and due process.
Before the quotation
The office says election officials investigate suspected fraud and refer cases to local law enforcement when appropriate.
After the quotation
The next passage raises data-retention concerns and says one of the approximately 400 records in DOJ's letter is from 1994.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the DOJ request based on the matches, the office expressly criticizes its evidentiary basis and the risk to eligible voters.
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More from this case
Read the full caseHobbs says officials should protect eligible voters rather than create uncertainty
“At a time when thousands of Washington voters already face ballot rejections due to delayed postmarks, our focus should be on ensuring every eligible voter can exercise their right to vote, not creating additional uncertainty about their eligibility,”Read statement
DOJ says sharing its list of flagged voters protects each citizen's vote
United States Department of Justice
“Our purpose in sharing this data with the Secretary of State is to protect the sanctity of each citizen’s vote,”Read statement
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- Washington's elections office says DOJ's system flags legitimate citizens
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The Dispute Index. "Washington's elections office says DOJ's system flags legitimate citizens". First published: 2026-10-28. Last updated: 2026-10-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/7051-the-office-criticizes-the-reliability-of-the-matching