Law360 (November 3, 2020, 7:28 PM EST) -- New York's attorney general on Tuesday said her office has opened an investigation into suspicious robocalls allegedly spreading disinformation by warning voters to "stay home" on Election Day, as Americans headed to the polls to cast their ballots in the U.S. presidential election.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that she issued subpoenas this week to investigate the source of the calls.

"Attempts to hinder voters from exercising their right to cast their ballots are disheartening, disturbing, and wrong," James said Tuesday. "What's more is that it is illegal, and it will not be tolerated. Every voter must be able to exercise their fundamental right to vote without being harassed, coerced, or intimidated."

The alleged phone calls come as the long-term problem of robocalls receives heightened attention stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and as U.S. authorities have warned local election officials that Russia and other nations plan to interfere in the election.

James did not elaborate on the exact message of the robocalls, nor did she provide transcripts or recordings. Her office didn't immediately respond to requests to provide details about the calls on Tuesday night.

In the statement, James said that "anyone who tries to hinder that right will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

"Voting is a cornerstone of our democracy," she added.

Similar calls were reported elsewhere in the country Tuesday. In Michigan, a key swing state in the election, both Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Twitter warned residents in Flint about calls telling them to wait until Wednesday to go to the polls because of long lines on Election Day.

A day earlier, Nessel had cautioned voters in Dearborn to disregard text messages allegedly trying to "trick you into thinking there are ballot sensor issues."

"Do not fall for it, it's a trick!" she said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on Tuesday vowed to "get to the bottom" of the messages.

"Illegal robocalls and robotexts that seek to impact our elections are unacceptable," he said in a tweet.

While the FCC has rules in place to punish bad actors who abuse automated messages, it can only hold such callers accountable if they're identified and phone providers that participate in USTelecom's trace-back group have been trying to track them.

In July, the FCC's Enforcement Bureau designated the USTelecom industry trace-back group as the agency's official consortium for coordinating efforts to trace illegal robocalls.

--Additional reporting by Kelcee Griffis and Craig Clough. Editing by Adam LoBelia.

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