At least four California election workers have received federal criminal grand jury subpoenas over the past week, CalMatters reports. At least one arrived Thursday, after a federal judge ordered prosecutors to stop threatening election officials with criminal charges.

What the subpoenas ask for

CBS News says the subpoenas were sent between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24. Three it reviewed went to officials in the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's office. They seek the county's correspondence with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, along with records on how the office screens for unlawful voting by noncitizens.

CalMatters says the three Los Angeles employees were ordered to testify before a grand jury on Nov. 4, the day after the election. In Orange County, elections officials received a subpoena on Thursday seeking unredacted voter records for 60 people. The county had already produced records on 20 registered voters in September.

A judge's warning

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter this week rejected the federal government's bid to make California set aside ballots from about 20,000 voters it claims are not citizens. In his written ruling he said: "these threats must stop." The Justice Department has appealed to the 9th Circuit.

Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels told CalMatters that "receiving a subpoena doesn't mean you are a target." Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan said the department has taken a "confrontational, adversarial approach."

CalMatters notes that federal prosecutors charged 28 people across California last week with registering to vote as noncitizens, about 0.0001% of the state's 23 million registered voters. Loyola Law School's Justin Levitt pointed out that the statute of limitations on federal voting offenses is five years, so there is no reason to rush during an election.

In the Bay Area, Santa Clara County has already refused a DOJ demand to sequester 902 ballots. The state has also issued new rules on police at polling places.

How to vote

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.