OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is rejecting a federal request to stop counting ballots from voters identified on a list of possible non-citizens.

In a letter Tuesday, Hobbs said the list provided by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday, Oct. 26 is unreliable and includes people who are known U.S. citizens.

A preliminary review also found some listed individuals are not active registered voters.

Hobbs says election officials cannot reject ballots without proof a voter is ineligible.

He argues refusing to count ballots based solely on an unverified list could violate federal voting rights law. The secretary also criticized the timing of the request, saying concerns were raised only days before Election Day.

Hobbs says Washington has safeguards to prevent non-citizens from registering and will review any evidence the federal government provides, but not unsupported allegations.

Hobbs’ response comes amid broader legal battles between Washington and the Trump administration over election oversight. In June, a federal judge blocked portions of a presidential executive order that would have required states to provide voter registration information to the federal government.

The administration also sued Washington over access to voter registration data, but that case was later dismissed. State officials argued the federal government’s requests were unconstitutional and exceeded its authority under election law.