The Justice Department is pressing California election officials to set aside mail-in ballots from people it believes are noncitizens. It is warning that officials who count those ballots could face criminal charges.

Federal prosecutors sent letters Friday to county election offices across the state, giving them 48 hours to work with federal agencies to determine who on a government list is a citizen. NBC News reported that the letters went to 57 of California's 58 counties. Los Angeles County received a similar letter last week.

The secretary of state and Los Angeles County have refused the demand, and other counties are weighing their response. The fight is now before a federal appeals cou...