Key facts
- DOJ plans to deploy about 1,000 monitors nationwide, triple the number in the last midterm election.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta called federal moves intimidating and suppressive.
- DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels stated monitors will focus on countering voter intimidation and protecting access.
- Some state laws allow election officials to prevent DOJ monitors from being present inside polling locations.
- The NAACP is suing to bar prosecutors from serving as monitors, citing voter intimidation concerns.
- The DOJ plans to document instances of alleged voting by noncitizens.
US states are preparing for an expanded deployment of Justice Department election monitors for the upcoming November midterms, a move that has generated tension and scrutiny from state officials. Minnesota deployed state employees to shadow DOJ lawyers during its August primary, and California has launched a similar program. The Justice Department plans to deploy approximately 1,000 monitors across all 50 states, a significant increase from previous elections, which it states is to ensure compliance with civil rights laws and counter voter intimidation. However, critics, including Democratic and some Republican election officials, view the expanded federal oversight as overreach. The NAACP has filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the deployment of criminal prosecutors as monitors, arguing it amounts to voter intimidation. Some states are issuing new guidelines to local election officials regarding the limited authority of DOJ observers.