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DOJ announces agency's largest election monitoring effort in all 50 states

By
FOX Local
Election
Published November 3, 2026 8:37 AM EST
Published November 3, 2026 8:37 AM EST
article

Signage directs voters at a polling place in the Tamarack Nature Center on August 11, 2026 in White Bear Township, Minnesota.  (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The Brief

    • The U.S. Department of Justice said it plans to deploy approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers across all 50 states, making it the largest election monitoring operation in the agency’s history.
    • According to the department, monitors will assess compliance with federal voting rights laws enforced by the Civil Rights Division. 
    • The Justice Department says throughout Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will remain in contact with state and local election officials and will be available to receive complaints and questions.

The U.S. Department of Justice said it plans to deploy approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers across all 50 states, making it the largest election monitoring operation in the agency’s history and the first time reaching every state in the nation. 

What we know:

The monitoring effort is being coordinated by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and has been since the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, according to a news release by the Department of Justice. 

Officials say monitors will include personnel from the Civil Rights Division, other Justice Department components, U.S. Attorney’s Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management. 

Big picture view:

According to the department, monitors will assess compliance with federal voting rights laws enforced by the Civil Rights Division. Those laws include the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act and provisions of the Civil Rights Act. 

What they're saying:

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said election integrity remains a top priority for the Trump administration, saying, "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."

The Justice Department says throughout Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will remain in contact with state and local election officials and will be available to receive complaints and questions related to federal voting rights laws. 

Local perspective:

Voters are encouraged to report election-related concerns through the DOJ’s hotline, email or through an online compliant portal on their website. Officials said disruptions at polling places should be first reported to local election authorities, while threats, intimidation and violence should be immediately reported to local law enforcement. 


 

The Source: This story was written with information provided by a news release from the Department of Justice. This story was reported from Orlando.

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