The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it is deploying approximately 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states, marking the largest federal election-monitoring effort in United States history.
The Civil Rights Division organized this nationwide operation, which represents the first time federal observers and monitors will be active in every state on Election Day. Federal monitors have observed polling places across presidential administrations since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The team includes staff from the Civil Rights Division, other Justice Department components, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management. Agency personnel will coordinate with state and local election administrators throughout the day.
“Election integrity has been one of the top priorities for this Administration and this Division,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. “I am very proud we are deploying the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history, and pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.”
Field monitors will track compliance with several key federal statutes.
The division’s Voting Section enforces protections under the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and the Civil Rights Acts.
Staff from the Disability Rights Section will evaluate polling sites for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure accessible voting for individuals with disabilities. The Criminal Section, meanwhile, enforces federal laws prohibiting voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin, or religion.
The department is monitoring dozens of specific counties, cities, and parishes nationwide. Target locations include Maricopa and Pima counties in Arizona; Fulton, DeKalb, and Cobb counties in Georgia; Wayne County communities including Detroit and Dearborn in Michigan; Philadelphia and Allegheny counties in Pennsylvania; and Harris, Dallas, and Bexar counties in Texas, alongside jurisdictions in every other state.
Justice Department officials noted that disruptions at voting sites should be reported first to local polling officials. Threats, violence, or direct voter intimidation should be reported immediately to local police via 911, followed by a formal report to the federal government.
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