Justice Department issues subpoenas to elections workers in Los Angeles as part of voter fraud probe

The Department of Justice issued subpoenas to local elections workers in Los Angeles as part of an investigation into allegations that thousands of noncitizens are on California's voter rolls. 

At least two employees of Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office received grand jury subpoenas last week for a proceeding that is scheduled for Nov. 4, the New York Times reported.

The subpoenas are seeking copies of all internal communications concerning the DOJ's demands to county officials and the California secretary of state. The subpoenas also demand records concerning the agency's “methods for screening for unlawful voting by aliens” and “efforts to prevent noncitizen votes from being counted in any election.”

The Justice Department uses such subpoenas to get access to records that hasn't been achieved through lawsuits and written requests. They don't mean the person receiving the subpoena is under investigation. 

A federal judge rejected the Justice Department's request for a temporary restraining order that would have stopped California from counting more than 20,000 ballots it says are from noncitizen voters.

In a ruling late Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Carter, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote that the government's request "would wreak havoc and disrupt the election." 

The Justice Department immediately appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

"The district court denied our emergency request to sequester ballots from 20,000 suspected noncitizens. Every day, more ballots are processed by election officials. This ongoing emergency disenfranchises American citizens through dilution," U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a post on X announcing the appeal.