Federal investigations into alleged noncitizen voting in the United States have widened well beyond Texas, with more than 100 subpoenas issued across at least 13 states a day before the November 3 midterm elections.
The Trump administration has issued the subpoenas seeking information on tens of thousands of voters. At least 49 were issued through federal grand juries, which indicates links to criminal investigations.
At least 49 were issued through federal grand juries, which indicates links to criminal investigations.
Federal prosecutors have accused at least 147 people of illegally voting since President Donald Trump returned to office, including at least 102 since the beginning of September.
The states and jurisdictions named include Texas, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Washington, Arizona, New York, Connecticut, Utah, Michigan, Kansas and Georgia.
What the subpoenas seek
The requests range from individual voter records to entire local registration lists. Election officials in Washington state received about 60 subpoenas on individual voters, California jurisdictions at least 17, and Philadelphia officials confirmed at least four.
In Massachusetts, some sought complete lists with names, addresses, party affiliation, dates of birth, voting status and voter identification numbers. In Minnesota, prosecutors sought records on dozens of people in Anoka and Hennepin counties.
A subpoena is a legal order to produce records or evidence. It does not mean the person whose information is sought committed a crime. The investigation, the charge and the conviction are separate stages.
The requests follow disputes over federal access to voter data. The Justice Department sued 30 states that refused to hand over voter lists containing sensitive personal details. Courts ruled against the department in those cases, although some remain under appeal.
Where it began: Texas
On September 15, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced charges against seven non-citizens accused of voting in federal elections or falsely claiming US citizenship, mainly in the 2024 general election. They are nationals of Nigeria, Mexico, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and five were described as lawful permanent residents. Two were accused of casting provisional ballots that were rejected and not counted.
The same day, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office referred 117 potential noncitizen voting cases to the state attorney general. They came from a review of about 18 million registered voters against the federal SAVE database, which first flagged 2,724 registrations. Further checks confirmed 578 of them as US citizens, 506 of whom had passport information added to the federal database after the first comparison.
The remaining 2,146 are simply those not in the confirmed-citizen group, and not confirmed noncitizens. Counties were told to reinstate eligible voters who had been wrongly removed.
National spread of cases
On September 18, the Justice Department announced charges against 16 people nationwide, including eight in Texas.
On September 30, federal prosecutors announced indictments against 10 foreign nationals in Minnesota.
On October 19, the department announced charges against 28 foreign nationals in California, all described as lawful permanent residents.
California dispute
The Justice Department claimed more than 20,000 people it considered likely noncitizens had received mail ballots and demanded that their ballots not be counted until citizenship was verified.
California officials rejected the list as unreliable. A state review of 200 registrations reportedly found nearly 40 percent of those examined appeared to have been born in the United States. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter acknowledged the federal list could include citizens.
The law and the evidence
Noncitizens, including green card holders, cannot vote in federal elections, and 18 USC Section 611 prohibits it. A false claim of citizenship when registering can bring separate charges. Immigration status alone does not show someone registered or voted illegally, since prosecutors must prove the conduct.
