DOJ Subpoenas L.A. Election Staff

Los Angeles County election workers face a new layer of federal scrutiny as they prepare for Tuesday's midterm vote. Three officials from the County Registrar-Recorder's office received criminal grand jury subpoenas this week. These orders require the workers to appear in federal court in Santa Ana on Wednesday morning, the day after polls close. The subpoenas also demand the production of internal communications and evidence related to the handling of state ballots.

The Justice Department is investigating alleged voting by noncitizens in California. Prosecutors have ordered the county to set aside 20,000 contested ballots, claiming they may have been cast by individuals without U.S. citizenship. The subpoenas seek emails, text messages, and self-deleting app records from election staff. They also request any evidence indicating that an alien has voted, as well as details about anyone who aided or abetted such voters.

Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters, stated that threats and intimidation have no place in elections. Although Logan has not been subpoenaed, his office is operating under the shadow of a criminal investigation. The Service Employees International Union filed a lawsuit on Thursday on behalf of the county workers. The union described the subpoenas as a coordinated campaign to intimidate officials administering the 2026 midterms. The suit argues that the federal government is coercing local offices to halt the processing and counting of ballots.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the administration's moves unacceptable on social media. He noted that the escalating attacks on hardworking elections officials are a clear sign of the tension in the case. Bill Essayli, a First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California, told Fox News this month that helping known noncitizens vote constitutes aiding and abetting a criminal offense. He added that his office will hold accountable anyone who unlawfully participates in the elections.

The legal battle has moved to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. On Friday, a three-judge panel ruled 2-1 in favor of California. The judges declined the United States' request to change procedures for vote-by-mail ballots. They stated that if the federal government believes different procedures are necessary, it should take that suggestion to Congress rather than the courts. The panel expressed concern that granting the government's relief might result in immense hardship and risk disenfranchising eligible voters.

President Donald Trump posted on social media this month that election workers who process contested ballots would go to jail for a long period of time. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter previously ruled that the administration's allegations were not credible. He found that the federal intervention would violate several federal laws. The Supreme Court is now expected to decide whether to hear the case before polls close on Tuesday.

The outcome of the 9th Circuit decision all but ensures the issue will reach the Supreme Court. With hundreds of thousands of ballots already returned and more moving through the mail over the weekend, the legal fight could cause delays in counting. A ruling for the Justice Department could further complicate the tabulation process. Several green card holders arrested in a crackdown on alleged voter fraud appeared in court Monday. Some said they had no recollection of registering to cast ballots.