Overview
- DOJ prosecutors told a federal judge on May 19 they have subpoenaed names, addresses, emails and phone numbers for thousands of Fulton County poll workers and ballot counters so investigators can try to interview witnesses.
- Fulton County’s elections office has asked the court to block or narrow the subpoena, arguing the request is overbroad, invasive and likely to deter people from serving as election workers in future contests.
- Judge William Ray II said he is “torn” about the subpoena’s scope, questioned how to judge overbreadth and has not issued a ruling that would stop the DOJ from collecting the data.
- Federal agents previously seized more than 600 boxes of the county’s 2020 ballots and voting materials, which a separate judge allowed the DOJ to retain as the grand jury probe continues.
- Legal analysts and several media outlets say the unusual step of collecting mass contact lists could revive disproven 2020 fraud narratives, heighten risks of harassment for workers and shape whether the grand jury yields any charges.