US charges 28 people accused of illegally registering to vote in California

The Justice Department says the 28 are lawful permanent residents but not citizens, charged with crimes including false statements on a naturalization application and fraudulent voter registrations.

Charged since the administration began

156 people

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said at least 11 were in custody Monday, and that the department has charged 156 people with voting fraud-related offences since the administration began.

Why it matters

The sweep, called Operation Protect the Vote, comes weeks before the midterm elections, though data shows non-citizen voting is rare, hard to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.