California election officials defend voting security amid DOJ scrutiny

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The U.S. Department of Justice lost again in court on Friday in its ongoing effort to stop California from counting about 20,000 ballots that it believes may belong to noncitizens. Now, another fight with election leaders across the state is just beginning.

The legal win for California comes as election officials work to inform voters that their ballots are safe and will count.

Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan cast his ballot publicly at an early voting center in a Huntington Park parking lot on Friday, saying the effort is intended to build confidence in the voting process and encourage participation.

“We want every eligible voter in L.A. County to show up to vote, and we want them to know we’re going to provide them with a safe and secure opportunity to do that,” Logan said.

The public vote comes as California election offices face increased scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice. Multiple grand jury subpoenas have been issued to election officials, including the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office.

Logan said public confidence in elections has increasingly come under challenge.

“If you don’t like the outcome of the election, then instead of just accepting that, you can just question what took place in the process,” he said.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has said the Trump administration wants to segregate and not count ballots from roughly 20,000 voters whom federal officials believe are not U.S. citizens. Logan characterized the subpoenas as threats and intimidation.

“It’s not entirely clear what they’re after or what we’re required to provide, but we will follow the law accordingly,” Logan said.

The law, so far, is on his side. On Friday morning, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the DOJ's emergency order for California to set aside the 20,000 ballots.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom said California is preparing to safeguard the vote-counting process.

“I am focused on getting over a thousand poll workers, folks out there to monitor the DOJ monitors that Trump is going to send to try to steal this election," Newsom said in an interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" earlier this week. "We’re going to make sure we’re monitoring the vote count until the last damn vote is counted."

The next step for the DOJ may be the U.S. Supreme Court, but legal experts say it's unlikely the high court will take it up before the election.

As soon as California ballot counting begins on Nov. 3, it becomes moot because the questioned ballots will be mixed in and unretrievable.

As voting continues, county and state officials say their focus remains on maintaining election security and public confidence in the process.