Federal Voter-Record Subpoenas Reach at Least 13 States, Reuters Investigation Finds

October 28, 2026 | SNN Newsroom

Federal authorities have sent more than 100 subpoenas seeking records involving tens of thousands of voters in at least 13 states, according to an October 28 Reuters investigation. The requests are part of an expanding federal effort to identify potential voting by noncitizens ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Reuters said it identified the subpoenas through public-records requests and interviews with state and local officials. The news organization’s count includes subpoenas issued over several months, not 100 new orders issued this week. SNN has not independently obtained or counted the complete collection of subpoenas, so the nationwide total is attributed to Reuters rather than presented as an independently verified SNN tally.

The requests include records held by officials in California, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington and other states. Reuters reported that some subpoenas concern individual voters while others seek entire local voter lists. Some were issued under grand-jury authority, which indicates an investigation but does not establish that a person has committed a crime.

The White House defended the inquiries as part of its effort to enforce the prohibition on noncitizen voting in federal elections. The Justice Department told Reuters it would enforce the law based on available evidence but did not confirm or deny its use of the particular subpoenas described in the investigation.

What officials dispute

Some state election officials have challenged the accuracy of federal lists identifying people as potentially ineligible to vote. In an October 14 statement, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the Justice Department had demanded rapid action on a list the department had not supplied to her office. The Justice Department subsequently sued California, alleging that more than 20,000 people it considered likely noncitizens were registered to vote. That allegation is contested and has not been established by a final court ruling.

The Justice Department has also announced criminal charges concerning allegedly unlawful voting and false statements in registration or naturalization paperwork. Its October 26 announcement described charges involving 48 people in five states. Those are allegations against specific defendants, not proof of widespread unlawful voting; defendants retain the presumption of innocence unless and until guilt is established in court.

Federal law generally bars noncitizens from voting for federal offices, with limited statutory exceptions. A subpoena, however, is a demand for information, not a finding that the person whose records are sought is ineligible or has voted unlawfully. A person flagged in a data search may be a citizen, including a naturalized citizen, and eligibility decisions require reliable evidence and applicable procedures.

Why the timing matters

The scope of the records requests has direct consequences for election offices that must simultaneously administer early voting, verify eligibility, process mail ballots and prepare for counting. Privacy concerns also arise when requested records include birth dates, addresses or voter identifiers. Massachusetts’ election agency says local voter information is partly public but certain records are protected, and it is challenging separate federal demands for statewide voter information.

For voters, the immediate takeaway is limited but important: the Reuters findings do not show that voting procedures have changed nationwide, that named voters are ineligible, or that an election outcome has been compromised. Any change to a particular voter’s status or ballot handling depends on the law and official action in that jurisdiction.

State and county election offices remain the authoritative sources for voting requirements, registration issues and ballot-tracking questions. SNN will distinguish document requests, criminal allegations, court orders and final findings as this story develops.

Reporting source: Reuters investigation, October 28, 2026, republished by AOL. SNN has not independently reassembled the underlying subpoena collection.