Trump administration expands DOJ election monitoring to all 50 states

The Justice Department plans to deploy roughly 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states for the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, marking the largest monitoring effort in department history. The expansion, along with plans to utilize criminal prosecutors as monitors, has drawn lawsuits from the NAACP and prompted states like Minnesota and California to deploy official state observers to shadow federal lawyers.

DOJ expands 2026 midterm election monitoring

• ▪The Justice Department plans to deploy roughly 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states for the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, tripling the previous midterm election deployment and marking the largest observation effort in Justice Department history
• ▪Justice Department officials announced that priority deployment areas for election monitors include locations with histories of voter access issues and competitive races vulnerable to potential voter intimidation

DOJ guidelines and role of monitors

• ▪Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels stated that Justice Department election monitors will be trained not to interfere with election processes, focusing instead on countering voter intimidation, protecting access, and documenting alleged noncitizen voting
• ▪Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels stated that election monitors will not identify themselves as prosecutors, and a senior official confirmed monitors will not check voters' citizenship status on Election Day
• ▪Justice Department staff are authorized to observe voting and report concerns to local officials, but state laws and federal guidelines prohibit monitors from conducting on-the-spot investigations or stopping individuals from voting

Concerns over voter intimidation and legal challenges

• ▪Voting rights organizations and Democratic officials expressed concern that expanding federal election monitors to all 50 states could be used to intimidate voters and sow doubt about election security
• ▪The NAACP filed a lawsuit to block criminal prosecutors and law enforcement personnel from serving as Justice Department election monitors for the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, arguing the practice constitutes voter intimidation

State responses and legal actions against monitors

• ▪Minnesota deployed approximately 40 state employees in pairs to shadow Justice Department lawyers during the August 2026 state primary election in two counties
• ▪Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar stated that local law enforcement will be trained to remove any Justice Department monitor who breaks rules or refuses to leave a polling place when requested
• ▪California Attorney General Rob Bonta launched a program to shadow federal election monitors and publicly accused the federal government of causing voter intimidation and suppression
• ▪Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon announced plans to coordinate with the state attorney general's office to shadow federal election monitors during the November 3, 2026 midterm elections