The US Justice Department said on Tuesday it is sending more than 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states, calling it the largest Election Day monitoring effort in its history. A department statement listed the cities and counties in each state where the monitors will be posted.
Officials said the focus is on areas with a history of voter access problems and on competitive races that could turn contentious or attract voter intimidation. The monitors will check compliance with federal voting rights laws handled by the department's Civil Rights Division, but they cannot investigate on the spot or stop anyone from voting, and some local laws let election officials keep them out of polling places.
The deployment is reportedly about three times the size of the one at the last midterm election. It comes amid months of tension between the Trump administration and the states over voting procedures, including lawsuits and pressure for voter registration data, which critics call federal overreach. Democratic lawmakers and lawyers say they are ready to act if the administration tries to interfere with polling sites or ballot counts.
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