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DOJ subpoenas local election officials over claims of noncitizen voting in California
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation in California to verify claims that up to 20,000 noncitizens are on the state's voter rolls, issuing federal grand jury subpoenas to local election officials.
- Receiving a subpoena does not necessarily mean a person is a target; it indicates they may have relevant information, and DOJ rarely subpoenas individuals it plans to charge.
- Recent legal setbacks include a federal judge denying the Trump administration's request to segregate mail ballots from alleged noncitizens and an appeals court refusing to block counting those ballots.
- The DOJ has pressured California and other states, including Washington, to cooperate with investigations into illegal voting, warning local officials of potential investigations if they do not comply.
- Noncitizens on voter rolls are rare, and errors often occur when newly naturalized citizens are mistakenly flagged, partly due to the lack of a comprehensive U.S. citizenship list.
