DOJ has monitored elections for decades. Here's why some state officials are concerned this year

The Justice Department plans to station 1,000 monitors across all 50 states on Nov. 3, the day of the midterm elections, which is more than twice the 388 sent in 2022 under President Joe Biden, a department official confirmed to PBS News. Monitors will not go to early voting sites. Some state officials and voting rights groups worry about federal interference, given that President Donald Trump keeps falsely asserting the 2020 contest was rigged and his administration has stressed unfounded claims about noncitizen voting, which is extremely rare, according to PBS NewsHour.

A senior department official said the focus will be heavily populated areas, places with past language or disability access problems, and competitive districts that might see intimidation. Stacey Young of Justice Connection, who has monitored three elections, said the work has historically been passive observation. She noted a major break from precedent: prosecutors, once barred from the role, will now serve, though the official said they will not prosecute anything they witness. The official described the monitors' job as watching and reporting, with any enforcement coming afterward.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →