Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

10 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

14 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

14 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

14 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

15 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

15 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

15 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

15 hours ago
California and Judicial Watch Settle on Cleaning Up Voter Rolls
GV-Wire-1
By gvwire
Published 6 years ago on
January 4, 2019

Share

LOS ANGELES — State election officials and the conservative legal group Judicial Watch have reached a settlement over how California handles records of inactive voters.
At issue was how election officials were handling records of voters who hadn’t voted in repeated elections and were not part of active voter rolls in the state.
Judicial Watch filed a 2017 lawsuit charging that Los Angeles County and the state were failing to meet federal requirements and ensure those inactive registrations were removed from records.
The group’s president, Tom Fitton, said in a statement that the settlement “will clean up election rolls.” Judicial Watch estimates that as many as 1.5 million inactive registered names may be invalid.
There was no admission of wrongdoing in the agreement.

Supreme Court Ruling Requires Removal of Inactive Voters

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan said in a statement that a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling shifted rules related to inactive voters.
The county will comply with the court decision, and “nothing in the agreement will jeopardize even one eligible Los Angeles County voter,” he said.

Padilla Says Safeguards for Voters Remain

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the state adheres to federal rules, and the settlement “will not lead to unnecessary removal of active and eligible voters. Safeguards remain in place to ensure … procedures are followed before canceling any voter registration records.”
Jim Brulte, who heads the California Republican Party, said it was unfortunate that it took a lawsuit to compel the state to comply with federal requirements.
But “as pattern and practice, neither party communicates with inactive voters,” Brulte said. “I don’t think it has any practical impact on how campaigns will be run in California.”

Without Evidence, Trump Claimed Voter Fraud in California

After President Donald Trump lost California by over 4 million votes in the 2016 election, he tweeted an unsubstantiated claim of widespread voter fraud in California.
The settlement requires the county to attempt to contact as many as 1.5 million people in the inactive voter file to determine their status, Judicial Watch said. Inactive voters on the list might have moved or died.
Paul Mitchell of the nonpartisan research firm Political Data Inc. called the case insignificant because it involves inactive voters who “are not getting voting materials, they are not casting ballots, they are not showing up in precincts.”
“What they are saying is L.A. county holds on to too many inactive registrations,” he said. “This whole thing does nothing to clean up the active voter file.”

Third Settlement Involving Judicial Watch

This is the third statewide settlement achieved by private plaintiffs under the National Voter Registration Act. Judicial Watch was the plaintiff in each of those cases. The other statewide settlements are with Ohio (in 2014) and with Kentucky (2018), which agreed to a court-ordered consent decree.
(Associated Press contributed to this report.)

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

DON'T MISS

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

CA Rolls Back Its Landmark Environmental Law to Speed Housing Construction

UP NEXT

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Buying a Home With Solar? Beware of CA Bill Written by Former Utility Co. Exec

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

8 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

8 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

8 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

9 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

9 hours ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

9 hours ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

10 hours ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

10 hours ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

10 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

11 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday struggled to pass President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut...

7 hours ago

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the press, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 2, 2025. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
7 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

The Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County has rapidly expanded to 8,396 acres with no containment, prompting evacuation orders and warnings near New Cuyama. (CalFire)
7 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

Andrew Biscay, 40, was arrested Friday, June 20, 2025, after deputies found him with a fake U.S. Marshal’s badge, homemade firearm, and law enforcement-style gear during a warrant arrest. (Madera County SO)
7 hours ago

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, a Madera County sheriff’s deputy was injured while trying to arrest a wanted felon, Felix Adrian Nucamendi Carrasco, 40, who later fled and was captured near Raymond Road. (Madera County SO)
8 hours ago

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

A wildfire dubbed the Madre Fire has burned over 3,300 acres near New Cuyama with 0% containment, officials said Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (CalFire)
8 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

8 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

Jose Luna (left), 33, and Ralph Grajeda, 45, both of Visalia, have been sentenced for their roles in the 2020 shotgun killing of Robert Soto at a local motel. (Tulare County DA)
9 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters File)
9 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend