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LA County says it cannot verify voter citizenship beyond voters’ own attestations

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 12 outlets, mostly right-leaning (75%).

16 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Men in suits at a podium with a Department of Justice seal, speaking at a press event.
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Los Angeles County election officials say in a federal court filing that their registrar cannot verify voters’ citizenship beyond the voter attestation. The filing concerns a Justice Department list of about 20,000 people it calls “likely” noncitizens registered to vote in California. According to LA County officials, a preliminary county analysis found that a high percentage of people on the list say they were born in the United States, and they call the list unreliable. According to the Justice Department, it has sued to stop tabulation of mail ballots from listed voters before the federal election. Federal prosecutors say a 72-year-old man arrested in the crackdown illegally registered and voted in Los Angeles County; he says he is a legal permanent resident who never registered. Bill Essayli, the federal prosecutor, has clashed publicly with Governor Gavin Newsom over the matter.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The Justice Department’s list covers about 20,000 people it calls “likely” noncitizens registered to vote in California.

    Across the spectrumReported byFar Left1Left2Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    NPR, ABC News
    Far Right
    The Epoch Times, TheBlaze, Fox News

  2. LA County election officials say in a court filing that the registrar cannot verify voter citizenship beyond the voter attestation.

    Reported byFar Left1Right1Far Right5See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    RedState, TheBlaze, PJ Media, Fox News, Townhall

  3. A preliminary LA County analysis found a high percentage of people on the list say they were born in the United States; county officials call the list unreliable.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    The New Republic
    Left
    NPR, ABC News

  4. The Justice Department’s lawsuit asks state and county officials not to tabulate mail ballots of people on the list before the federal election.

    One outletTheBlaze· Far Right

  5. Federal prosecutors say Omar Muñoz, 72, registered to vote in LA County in 2019 and voted in four elections; he says he is a legal permanent resident who never registered.

    One outletThe New Republic· Far Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether the Justice Department’s list accurately identifies noncitizens registered to vote in California.

    Right-side coverage presents the list as suspected noncitizens and treats the county filing as a concession; LA County officials and left-side coverage say the list is unreliable and that many people on it say they were born in the US.

  • Whether the county’s verification limits amount to evidence of illegal voting.

    Far-right outlets describe the filing as a damning concession and evidence of vote cheating; left-side coverage reports the county’s statement that the registrar lacks independent citizenship records and that the list is inaccurate.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Both sides report LA County told a federal court it cannot verify voter citizenship beyond voter attestations. Left coverage stresses that many people on the DOJ’s 20,000-name list say they were born in the US; right coverage stresses the county’s admission and the DOJ’s fraud concerns.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left headlines put the list’s reliability first, stressing that many people on the DOJ list were born in the US; the far-left New Republic adds scare quotes around “Noncitizen Voters” and says the list is filled with US-born people.

    Some on DOJ's 20,000 "likely" noncitizen list in Calif. appear to be U.S.-born
    NPRLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    9 outlets · 2 opinion

    Right headlines present the county’s filing as an admission of no verification, often with words like admit or concession; the far right goes further, calling it vote cheating and an illegitimate voting system.

    LA election officials Loaded verb“admit”Admit implies a concession or wrongdoing, while the officials only stated a fact about their process.More neutral: sayDisagree with this highlight? no independent way to verify voter citizenship
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left4

    purported listFilled With People Born in Americasupposed noncitizen votingTrump’s Voter Fraud Crackdown

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right13

    admittedblastedadmitskirmish

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    admittedMore neutral: stated in court

    “Admitted” implies a confession; the filing states that the county cannot verify citizenship.

    And we know this because their election officials just admitted in court that they don't check who illegally votes there.

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)Townhall (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    blastedMore neutral: criticized

    Blasted is an attack verb that adds hostility to a report of criticism.

    Bill Essayli, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, blasted the state over the gap in its election safeguards, warning that eligible Americans’…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    admitMore neutral: say

    Admit implies a concession or wrongdoing, while the officials only stated a fact about their process.

    LA election officials admit no independent way to verify voter citizenship

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    skirmishMore neutral: latest development

    The word presents a routine legal and administrative dispute as a combat-style clash.

    In the latest skirmish, feds and state officials spar over a list of 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters.

    Used byThe Epoch Times (Far Right)

Show 13 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Sensational language

    tense standoffMore neutral: ongoing dispute

    The phrase adds drama to a dispute between government bodies without adding facts.

    …investigation into alleged voter fraud in California, the latest escalation in a tense standoff over access to the state’s voter rolls as November elections near.

    Used byThe Epoch Times (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    swept upMore neutral: charged

    The verb presents the charged individuals as caught in a net before any finding of guilt.

    The operation has thus far swept up more than 28 foreign nationals in the net of election fraud.

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    ConcedesMore neutral: Says

    The verb suggests California made an admission of wrongdoing, while the content describes a statement about its verification practices.

    CA Concedes That It Does Not Verify US Citizenship for Voting, and Really Doesn't Care To

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    Really Doesn't Care ToMore neutral: does not verify U.S. citizenship for voting

    The phrase attributes an unstated motive to California and mocks it rather than describing its policy.

    CA Concedes That It Does Not Verify US Citizenship for Voting, and Really Doesn't Care To

    Used byRedState (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    damning concessionMore neutral: statement in a court filing

    “Damning” asserts the filing is incriminating, a judgement the supplied facts do not establish.

    Los Angeles officials appear to have made a damning concession in a filing related to the legal feud over 20,000 people identified as "likely…

    Used byTheBlaze (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    purported listMore neutral: list

    “Purported” casts doubt on the list before the court record is weighed.

    The Department of Justice’s purported list of noncitizen voters contains quite a few people who say they were born in the…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Filled With People Born in AmericaMore neutral: includes people who say they were born in the United States

    The headline implies the list is mostly US-born people, while the description says “quite a few.”

    DOJ’s “Noncitizen Voters” List Filled With People Born in America

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    undisputed champ of vote cheatingMore neutral: does not independently check voter citizenship

    Presents widespread cheating as settled, while the supplied filing reports no finding of cheating.

    Los Angeles County is officially the undisputed champ of vote cheating.

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Vague attribution

    Election integrity experts have long knownMore neutral: Some have argued

    Attributes a claim to unnamed experts with no source.

    Election integrity experts have long known that if you want to mess with elections, Los Angeles County is the…

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    Won't Lift a FingerMore neutral: has not changed its practices

    Asserts the county has done nothing, beyond what the reported filing says.

    County Won't Lift a Finger to Address Its Entrenched Illegitimate Voting System

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    Entrenched Illegitimate Voting SystemMore neutral: Los Angeles County voter citizenship verification practices

    Calling the county’s voting system illegitimate is a judgement the supplied filing does not establish.

    County Won't Lift a Finger to Address Its Entrenched Illegitimate Voting System

    Used byPJ Media (Far Right)

  • Delegitimizing label

    supposed noncitizen votingMore neutral: alleged noncitizen voting

    “Supposed” casts doubt on the conduct the government is prosecuting.

    The Trump administration’s crackdown on supposed noncitizen voting led to 11 people being arrested in California, one of whom was a 72-year-old…

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

  • Partisan shorthand

    Trump’s Voter Fraud CrackdownMore neutral: Trump administration’s noncitizen voting enforcement

    Names the enforcement effort “voter fraud,” a label that assumes fraud occurred before the cases are decided.

    72-Year-Old Man Arrested in Trump’s Voter Fraud Crackdown Speaks Out

    Used byThe New Republic (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (2)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    massive concessionMore neutral: statement

    The headline presents the federal prosecutor’s characterization of the filing as established fact.

    California makes 'massive concession' in lawsuit over 20,000 'likely noncitizen' voters, DOJ says

    Quoted byTheBlaze (Far Right)

    These are Bill Essayli’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    bigotedMore neutral: quote the statement

    Characterizes motive; quote the words.

    …even when vindication means waiting patiently for years while being branded a bigoted, lying, conspiratorial scoundrel in the interim.

    Quoted byThe Daily Wire (Far Right)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • list is unreliable, per LA County
  • many listed people say they were born in the US
  • Omar Muñoz denies illegal registration

Leaves out

  • DOJ lawsuit seeking to halt tabulation of listed voters’ mail ballots

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

9 outlets · 2 opinion

Leads with

  • county admits it cannot verify citizenship
  • suspected noncitizens on the DOJ list
  • Newsom and Essayli clash

Leaves out

  • LA County analysis finding many listed people say they were born in the US

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 11 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • One America NewsFar Right

    Essayli: L.A. election officials admit no independent way to verify citizenship

    Los Angeles election officials told a federal court that they have no independent way to verify citizenship of voters, stated Bill Essayli, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California.

    Read at One America News (opens in a new tab)
  • The FederalistFar Right

    Lawsuit: L.A. Officials Accept Any Voter’s Citizenship Claims Despite Records Of Illegal Voting

    Voters Los Angeles won't verify are citizens have already been sent ballots as part of California's midterm election season, which lasts an entire month.

    Read at The Federalist (opens in a new tab)
  • TownhallFar Right

    LA County Election Officials Just Told a Federal Court They Can’t Verify Voter Citizenship

    Los Angeles County officials just Loaded verb“admitted”“Admitted” implies a confession of wrongdoing, while the filing only states what the county can and cannot do.More neutral: said in a federal court filingDisagree with this highlight? in a federal court filing that they have no way to verify voters' citizenship beyond simply taking their word for it.

    Read at Townhall (opens in a new tab)
  • Fox NewsFar Right

    Newsom spars with Trump-appointed prosecutor over 20,000 suspected noncitizens on voter rolls

    Gavin Newsom and Bill Essayli clashed over noncitizen voting after an L.A. County official said the registrar cannot verify voter citizenship.

    Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily WireFar Right

    The Golden State’s Pinky-Promise Elections Beg For Transparency

    Well, well, well. It feels good, constantly being vindicated as a Republican, even when vindication means waiting patiently for years while being branded a Loaded modifier“bigoted”Characterizes motive; quote the words.More neutral: quote the statementThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?, lying, conspiratorial scoundrel in the interim. …

    Read at The Daily Wire (opens in a new tab)
  • TheBlazeFar Right

    California makes 'Sensational language“massive concession”The headline presents the federal prosecutor’s characterization of the filing as established fact.More neutral: statementThese are Bill Essayli’s words. The outlet is reporting them.Disagree with this highlight?' in lawsuit over 20,000 'likely noncitizen' voters, DOJ says

    Los Angeles officials appear to have made a Sensational language“damning concession”“Damning” asserts the filing is incriminating, a judgement the supplied facts do not establish.More neutral: statement in a court filingDisagree with this highlight? in a filing related to the legal feud over 20,000 people identified as "likely noncitizens" who are registered to vote. In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the Department of Justice demanded that state and L.A. …

    Read at TheBlaze (opens in a new tab)
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Federal Prosecutor Says L.A. County Made ‘Massive Concession’ on Voter Citizenship Checks

    A “massive concession” claim emerged Tuesday in the federal dispute over California’s voter rolls after Los Angeles County officials told a court they cannot independently verify voters’ citizenship beyond what voters state on their registration forms.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    DOJ Escalates Battle with California Over Alleged Voter Fraud as Elections Near

    In the latest Sensational language“skirmish”The word presents a routine legal and administrative dispute as a combat-style clash.More neutral: latest developmentDisagree with this highlight?, feds and state officials spar over a list of 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters.

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    LA election officials Loaded verb“admit”Admit implies a concession or wrongdoing, while the officials only stated a fact about their process.More neutral: sayDisagree with this highlight? no independent way to verify voter citizenship

    Los Angeles election officials have no independent way to verify whether voters are US citizens beyond taking their word for it, according to the city’s top federal prosecutor. …

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • PJ MediaFar RightOpinion

    L.A. County Loaded verb“Won't Lift a Finger”Asserts the county has done nothing, beyond what the reported filing says.More neutral: has not changed its practicesDisagree with this highlight? to Address Its Delegitimizing label“Entrenched Illegitimate Voting System”Calling the county’s voting system illegitimate is a judgement the supplied filing does not establish.More neutral: Los Angeles County voter citizenship verification practicesDisagree with this highlight?

    Los Angeles County is officially the Sensational language“undisputed champ of vote cheating”Presents widespread cheating as settled, while the supplied filing reports no finding of cheating.More neutral: does not independently check voter citizenshipDisagree with this highlight?. And we know this because their election officials just Loaded verb“admitted”“Admitted” implies a confession; the filing states that the county cannot verify citizenship.More neutral: stated in courtDisagree with this highlight? in court that they don't check who illegally votes there.

    Read at PJ Media (opens in a new tab)
  • RedStateFar RightOpinion

    CA Loaded verb“Concedes”The verb suggests California made an admission of wrongdoing, while the content describes a statement about its verification practices.More neutral: SaysDisagree with this highlight? That It Does Not Verify US Citizenship for Voting, and Sensational language“Really Doesn't Care To”The phrase attributes an unstated motive to California and mocks it rather than describing its policy.More neutral: does not verify U.S. citizenship for votingDisagree with this highlight?

    The United States Department of Justice and the State of California continue to clash over operations in Operation Protect the Vote, a coordinated effort among all four of the California-based Offices of the U.S. …

    Read at RedState (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 hr 5 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 10:15 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Oct 20, 9:10 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightOct 20, 9:10 PM EDT
  2. The Epoch TimesFar RightOct 20, 10:11 PM EDT
  3. NPRLeftOct 20, 10:15 PM EDT
  4. ABC NewsLeftOct 20, 10:31 PM EDT
  5. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 20, 11:02 PM EDT
  6. TheBlazeFar RightOct 21, 9:15 AM EDT
  7. The New RepublicFar LeftOct 21, 10:43 AM EDT
  8. The Daily WireFar RightOct 21, 12:04 PM EDT
  9. Fox NewsFar RightOct 21, 12:44 PM EDT
  10. TownhallFar RightOct 21, 1:30 PM EDT
  11. The FederalistFar RightOct 21, 2:36 PM EDT
  12. One America NewsFar RightOct 21, 5:33 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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