Five Riverside County elected officials declared the county's election secure after touring the ballot-processing facility Thursday, Oct. 29.

The group directly challenged a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) allegation that more than 1,000 people without permanent legal status voted illegally in the county. The pushback came days after the Registrar of Voters (ROV) received a DOJ letter asking it to withhold 1,355 mail-in ballots, according to the Riverside Record.

The letter is part of a broader federal allegation that roughly 20,000 ballots statewide were cast by people the DOJ says are likely non-citizens.

"If you have evidence and a case, bring an indictment; noncitizens voting in elections is illegal," Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, said at the Oct. 29 press conference outside the ROV office. "Instead, you just hand a [thumb] drive, burdening our local officials with a last minute job that is your job to do as law enforcement."

Takano spoke alongside Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Indio, and Riverside County Supervisors Karen Spiegel and Yxstian Gutierrez. All five said their hour-long inspection found the facility functioning properly, the Riverside Record reported.

What the DOJ asked

The letter from First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli to Riverside County Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco arrived late Monday, Oct. 26, according to Elizabeth Florer, a county elections office spokesperson, as reported by the Press-Enterprise. It stated that 1,355 ballots from "likely aliens" were among the roughly 20,000 statewide the DOJ alleges were cast illegally.

The letter asked the county to work with the DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security within 48 hours to verify citizenship. It warned of legal consequences for noncompliance.

Florer told the Riverside Record that the office had not reviewed the letter's content and had no further comment.

Federal judge blocked ballot seizure

A day before the ROV tour, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter denied the Trump administration's request for a temporary restraining order. The order would have forced California election officials to set aside the disputed ballots, as reported by the Daily News.

In a 26-page ruling Wednesday, Oct. 28, Carter wrote that the request "would wreak havoc and disrupt the election that is already underway."

Essayli said in a statement that night that the DOJ would seek an emergency appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. That appeal has been filed, according to the Coast News. The outcome was not known as of publication.

Carter scheduled an expedited hearing for Nov. 13 in Los Angeles federal court to examine the methodology behind the DOJ's list, the Coast News reported. He said election officials have until Dec. 3, the certification deadline, to resolve the matter.

County says safeguards are in place

Ruiz said at the press conference that the tour revealed "an army of election workers, temporary and permanent, who are implementing safeguards … even safeguards for the safeguards."

Supervisor Spiegel noted security cameras positioned across the building, the Riverside Record reported. Supervisor Gutierrez said residents can watch ballot processing through livestreams on the ROV's website.

"The board of supervisors in the past few years in the county of Riverside has invested millions of dollars more into our registrar of voters by increasing personnel," Gutierrez said.

How to vote

The Riverside County ROV sent 1.4 million vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, according to the county. An additional 131 vote centers opened Saturday, Oct. 31, bringing the countywide total to 152, the Press-Enterprise reported.

Vote centers and ballot drop boxes will be available through Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls closing at 8 p.m.