The Justice Department has charged 28 people in California with election crimes, including fraudulent voter registration and illegal voting, according to AP News. Officials say all of them are lawful permanent residents, meaning green card holders and not U.S. citizens, so they aren't allowed to vote in federal elections. Eleven of them have been arrested.

The charges follow a bigger fight. Last week the DOJ sued California, saying it had found more than 20,000 people on the state's voter rolls who are likely noncitizens. Because California mails a ballot to every registered voter, the feds want those ballots set aside until citizenship is checked. Before the suit, a DOJ official gave the state 48 hours to review the list, CBS News reported.

California officials are pushing back. They say the federal list hasn't been verified and could end up blocking eligible citizens from voting. With ballots already in mailboxes and Election Day close, it now comes down to the courts and how fast both sides move.