加利福尼亚州州长加文·纽瑟姆（Gavin Newsom）致信该州最高联邦法官，紧急提醒即将到来的中期选举的选举完整性问题。
By María Paula Mijares Torres California Governor Gavin Newsom sent an urgent letter to the state’s top federal judges about election integrity ahead of the upcoming midterms.
该信函致加州四个联邦地区法院的首席法官，称特朗普政府可能在12月11日“在选举进行期间且在结果认证之前，申请搜查令以‘扣押选票、选举记录或已认证的投票技术’”。
The letter, addressed to the chief judges of California’s four federal district courts, said the Trump administration may seek warrants to “seize ballots, election records, or certified voting technology while an election is underway and before the results are certified” on Dec. 11.
州长的这一预防性“警示”正值美国司法部针对加州选举管理者的行动日益扩大之际。
The governor’s preemptive “alert” comes amid expanding actions by the US Department of Justice directed at California’s election administrators.
纽瑟姆表示担忧，代理副检察长特伦特·麦考特（Trent McCotter）于10月16日警告州和地方选举官员可能面临刑事风险，而美国首席助理检察官比拉尔·埃西利（Bilal Essayli）公开威胁要起诉处理被联邦当局怀疑为非公民选民投出的选票的选举人员。司法部还向洛杉矶县的选举工作人员发出大陪审团传票。
Newsom expressed concern that Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter warned state and local election officials on Oct. 16 of potential criminal exposure, while First Assistant US Attorney Bilal Essayli publicly threatened prosecution against election personnel who process ballots cast by voters suspected by federal authorities of being non-citizens. The DOJ has also issued grand jury subpoenas to election workers in Los Angeles County.
纽瑟姆在信中写道：“美国司法部被广泛记录的武器化，以服务于现任总统的党派和个人目的，支持了对进一步剥夺选民权利、破坏选举完整性的合法担忧，包括试图阻止认证结果，而近期民调显示，这可能会使至少一个众议院席位的控制权发生转变。”
“The well-documented weaponization of the United States Department of Justice to serve the partisan and personal ends of the current president support legitimate concerns about further attempts to disenfranchise voters and undermine election integrity, up to and including seeking to prevent certification of results that recent polling suggests will flip control of at least one House of Congress,” Newsom wrote in the letter.
美国地区法院法官大卫·O·卡特（David O. Carter）于周三在一起正在审理的民事案件中建议联邦官员，立即停止对州和地方选举工作人员的威胁，并驳回该部门强迫加州撤销多达2万张选票的企图——法官称此举是对民主的威胁。周五，联邦上诉法院驳回了司法部将有争议选票分离的请求。
US District Judge David O. Carter advised federal officials Wednesday in an ongoing civil case that threats against state and local election staff should cease immediately and rejected the department’s attempt to force California to set aside up to 20,000 ballots — a move the judge called a threat to democracy. On Friday, a federal appeals court rejected the DOJ’s request to segregate disputed ballots.
同样，特里娜·汤普森美国地区法官周五暂时阻止特朗普政府以涉嫌非公民投票为由，对加州选举官员进行刑事起诉的威胁。
Similarly, US District Judge Trina Thompson temporarily barred the Trump administration Friday from threatening California election officials with criminal prosecution over their handling of ballots in a crackdown on alleged non-citizen voting.
汤普森法官还阻止司法部下令官员将特定选民从登记名册中剔除，或撤销已投出的2023年11月3日选票，称政府的行为可能干扰选举管理并剥夺合法选民的投票权。
Judge Thompson also blocked the DOJ from ordering officials to remove specific voters from registration rolls or set aside ballots already cast for Nov. 3, saying the administration’s actions risked interfering with election administration and disenfranchising lawful voters.
纽瑟姆在信中表示，加州法律已经建立了严格的文件、保存和链条保管程序，并由法院监督。
Newsom said in his letter that California law already establishes strict documentation, retention and chain-of-custody protocols overseen by courts.
“没有合法的执法理由可以没收选票、选票材料以及用于处理和统计选票的设备，”纽瑟姆写道。“事实上，唯一的动机就是干预州对选票的合法计数。”
“There is no legitimate law enforcement reason to seize ballots, ballot materials, and equipment needed to process and tabulate ballots,” Newsom wrote. “Indeed, the only reason to do so would be to interfere in a State’s lawful counting of ballots.”