Trump administration investigates California voter rolls over noncitizens

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 00:04 · Archive

President Trump's Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into California's voter rolls and issued grand jury subpoenas to local election officials. The investigation concerns more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens on voter rolls who were sent mail-in ballots. At least two employees of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's office received subpoenas requiring them to appear on 4 November, the morning after the election, according to records obtained by The New York Times.

US Attorney Bill Essayli told a Los Angeles courtroom that roughly 500,000 ballots have already been counted and warned that disputed ballots could disappear into the final tally. He is seeking an injunction requiring ballots believed to have been cast by noncitizens to be separated. 'Every minute that goes by, American citizen votes are being diluted in the state of California,' Essayli said. He added: 'We are not seeking to change the rules. As we speak thousands of ballots are being counted. We have a strong interest in election integrity.'

In one incident, federal marshals served an election official at home despite having already delivered a subpoena at the worker's office and being notified of legal representation, The New York Times reported.

How it is being reported

• Justice Department issues subpoenas to California election workersGrand jury subpoenas sent to election workers in Los Angeles come amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and California election officials over the state's voter rolls.NPR · 30 Oct, 01:35
• Trump DOJ launches criminal probe into California voter rolls, subpoenas election officialsPresident Trump’s Justice Department is turning up the heat on California, launching a criminal investigation into voter rolls and hitting local election officials with grand jury subpoenas in a showdown over more than 20,000 suspected noncitizens.New York Post · 29 Oct, 23:51
• Trump launches criminal investigation into claims of illegal voting in California as president tries to stop 'rigged' Democrat midterms waveLocal election officials were handed federal subpoenas demanding documents detailing their 'methods for screening for unlawful voting by aliens.'Daily Mail · 29 Oct, 21:57

In this story: Trump · Justice Department · California · Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder · Bill Essayli

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log