Justice Department subpoenas California election employees

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into California voter registration and issued grand-jury subpoenas to Los Angeles County election-office employees, seeking records about federal requests and the county’s screening for suspected unlawful voting. Three subpoenas, dated Oct. 21 and Oct. 24, were sent to employees of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office, according to copies reviewed by The Associated Press. At least two employees received subpoenas, according to records and people familiar with the matter. The recipients were ordered to appear on Nov. 4. The documents seek communications and records related to federal letters to election officials, methods for screening suspected unlawful voting by noncitizens, and efforts to prevent noncitizen ballots from being counted. A letter accompanying one subpoena connected it to a criminal investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, but did not describe the investigation’s specific scope. The subpoenas do not establish that their recipients are targets. The Justice Department and a U.S. official have said that recipients may have information relevant to an inquiry; the official...