Trump expands hunt for noncitizen voters with broad subpoena campaign before midterms

The Trump administration has issued over 100 subpoenas requesting records on tens of thousands of voters across at least 13 states, as part of a growing effort before the upcoming midterm elections to uncover alleged unlawful voting by non-US citizens. According to Reuters, most of the subpoenas, some dating back to the beginning of the year, were issued to state and local election officials in the past three months.

These documents, previously unreported, highlight a federal campaign to identify potential noncitizen voters that extends beyond what was previously known. It is against the law for noncitizens to participate in US federal elections. Legal experts opine that these records may be utilized to challenge results in tight midterm contests, despite the lack of substantial evidence suggesting widespread noncitizen voting.

Reuters uncovered the subpoenas through public-records requests and conversations with local and state officials. While a majority of the subpoenas were directed at Democratic strongholds, such as Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and various California cities, they also target Republican-leaning states with competitive races.