Nonpartisan. Oath-bound. We endorse no candidate and no party.

  • Problem at the polls? Call 866 Our Vote
  • Become a field reporter for the 50501 Veterans flagship podcast, "The Smoke Pit." Apply Now

Back to Rumor Control

The rumor is True

Voter rolls and eligibility Nationwide

“The Justice Department is subpoenaing local election officials for voter records ahead of the midterms.”

The fact

True. Reuters found more than 100 subpoenas from the Justice Department and Homeland Security for records on tens of thousands of voters in at least 13 states.

Most were issued in the past three months. At least 49 are grand jury subpoenas tied to criminal investigations. They reach Minneapolis-area counties, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other California counties, Massachusetts towns, and offices in Texas, Kansas, Georgia and Arizona. CBS News reviewed three grand jury subpoenas sent Oct. 21 to 24 to the Los Angeles County registrar, seeking its noncitizen screening records and correspondence. A subpoena is a demand for records, not proof that anyone voted illegally. Reuters counts fewer than one federal illegal voting case per million 2024 voters. On Oct. 28 a federal judge refused DOJ's request to stop California from counting about 20,000 mail ballots. DOJ has appealed. A subpoena to your election office does not cancel your registration or your ballot. If you are a registered citizen, vote. If your county contacts you about your eligibility, respond right away.

How we know: 3 sources

News reports 3

  1. CBS News: grand jury subpoenas to LA County, Oct 29 Checked Archived copy
  2. ABC News: DOJ grand jury subpoenas in California, Oct 29 Checked Archived copy