Question for California voters: Why not have fraud-free elections?

Why does anyone have a problem with fraud-free voting in California? Whether it’s one fraudulent vote or many: It’s wrong, it dilutes duly cast votes, and it undermines public faith in the electoral system, in the outcomes of close races — and in democracy itself.That’s why the federal government’s push to root out noncitizen voters, in California and other states, is both welcome and reassuring.  Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.Please provide a valid email.

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And why California’s stubborn refusal to cooperate is perhaps perplexing.Why abide or excuse any election fraud?The Trump administration said on Monday that it had charged six more noncitizens with misrepresenting their citizenship status in order to vote in federal elections; in all, the feds have charged 34 people in California as part of Operation Protect the Vote. Good.

Those moves should help reassure state voters who complete their ballots or head to the polls this week.Also on Monday, the US Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal by the Trump administration to sequester 20,000 ballots of suspected noncitizens in LA County.Lower courts last month had declined to order the ballots set aside so that those voters’ eligibility could be double-checked before the votes were counted.An audit could have settled the issue, rather than leaving voters to wonder why California was stonewalling — and what it may have had to hide.Despite the state and judicial roadblocks, voters can take heart that their votes still matter: that they still have a say.They can also do their part to end noncitizen voting by supporting Prop.

39, the voter ID law on this week’s ballot.It’s a simple, commonsense step: Require in-person voters to show ID, and mail-in voters to write an ID number on their ballot envelopes. It’s hardly a...