Home · Politics · Oct 30 archive
DOJ Issues Grand Jury Subpoenas to California Election Officials
· Confirmed
In Short: The Department of Justice has issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in California as part of a criminal investigation into the state's voter rolls.
The Department of Justice issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in California on Thursday, as part of its criminal investigation into the state's voter rolls.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that the subpoenas were issued to election officials in several counties, including Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and San Diego.
Some employees with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's office received grand jury subpoenas last week, demanding their testimony on November 3, just one day after the midterm elections.
The subpoenas seek voter records, communications with federal authorities, and information about efforts to prevent unlawful voting.
The Justice Department's move escalates the Trump administration's clash with states over how elections are run, just days before the midterm elections.
The subpoenas come as part of the administration's effort to prove its claims that California has thousands of noncitizens on its voter rolls.
According to sources with direct knowledge and copies seen by CBS News, the Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to state and local officials in California, alleging that the state may have as many as 20,000 non-citizens registered to vote ahead of the midterm elections.
In total, Orange County has been hit with four subpoenas requesting unredacted voter registration information for a total of 80 possible registrants.
The subpoenas demand information 'relating to or involving your agency's methods for screening for unlawful voting by aliens,' as stated in a letter from the Justice Department.
In an order Wednesday, a federal judge in California rejected DOJ's push for an emergency order to have California segregate roughly 20,000 ballots belonging to individuals the Trump administration has claimed are 'likely' noncitizens.
Judge David Carter wrote in his Wednesday order that allowing such a move would violate 'longstanding constitutional principles' giving states the authority to administer their own elections.
The judge's order warned federal prosecutors to stop threatening California election officials with crimes, and Logan, the L.A. County registrar-recorder/county clerk, said in a statement to ABC News that the judge's admonishment about threats directed at election officials was well placed and appreciated.
What this adds
The subpoenas escalate tensions between the federal government and California election officials, with some calling the move confrontational and adversarial.
The Justice Department declined to comment on 'leaks about alleged grand jury subpoenas' but said federal courts have said voting unlawfully results in criminal exposure.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement shared on X that the Trump Administration’s escalating attacks on hardworking elections officials in California are unacceptable.
Background
The Department of Justice has issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in California as part of a criminal investigation into the state's voter rolls.
A federal grand jury declined to bring charges against Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
What's confirmed
- The Department of Justice on Thursday issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials in California as part of its criminal investigation into the state's voter rolls, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
- "noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime -- and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful."
- "Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own Constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the Executive Branch," U.S.
- Threats and intimidation have no place in elections.
- Some employees with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's office received grand jury subpoenas last week, which demand their testimony on Nov.
- The New York Times first reported on the subpoenas to election officials in California.
- October 29, 2026 / 6:45 PM EDT / CBS News The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to state and local officials in California, escalating a dispute over allegations by the federal government that the state may have as many as 20,000 non-citizens registered to vote ahead of the midterm elections, according to sources with direct knowledge and copies seen by CBS News.
- In response to an inquiry from NBC News on Thursday, the Justice Department declined to comment on “leaks about alleged grand jury subpoenas” but said federal courts have said voting unlawfully results in criminal exposure.
- "Judge Carter's admonishment about threats directed at election officials on Tuesday was well placed and appreciated," Logan said.
- Santa Clara County confirmed it had also received subpoenas and inewsource reported that San Diego County officials received them as well.
- In total, Orange County has been hit with four subpoenas requesting unredacted voter registration information for a total of 80 possible registrants, though Registrar Bob Page noted there has been overlap in the names the federal government has provided.
- In an order Wednesday, a federal judge in California rejected DOJ's push for an emergency order to have California segregate roughly 20,000 ballots belonging to individuals the Trump administration has claimed are "likely" noncitizens.
What's still developing
- The administration is applying extraordinary pressure on the state less than one week away from Election Day.
- OpenAI official logo (public domain, Wikimedia Commons) — CryptoBriefing brand treatment Rob Bonta's office escalates its probe after OpenAI's AI agents breached Hugging Face's systems in July California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday that his office has served OpenAI with a subpoena.
- The investigative subpoena comes as part of the California Department of Justice’s inquiry into a July incident involving OpenAI and AI development platform Hugging Face.
- Those federal demands only came to light last month, after attorneys general from 22 states, including California, sued to stop the subpoena from being carried out.
- The subpoenas call for the employees to testify and produce documents related to the DOJ’s demand that California verify the citizenship of alleged noncitizen voters.
- “Ballot-stacking tactics are common in politics and generally considered legal — and have been employed by both parties in Alaska.” The NYT is offended, I guess, that Democrats would use the same legal dirty tricks that get Republicans elected.
Sources
- ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videoslink
- ABC7 Los Angeleslink
- CBS Newslink
- Law Commentarylink
- MS NOWlink
- NBC Newslink
- NPRlink
- Sfchroniclelink
- Talkingpointsmemolink
- Washingtonexaminerlink
- Cryptobriefinglink
- Denvergazettelink
- Hsjchroniclelink
- WarpBeat — background on DOJ Issues Grand Jury Subpoenas to California Election Officials link
- WarpBeat — background on Grand Jury Declines to Indict Cassidy Hutchinson link
- ABC7 — video link