This story originally appeared in The Center Square.
For the first time in history, the U.S. Department of Justice is monitoring voting in all 50 states.
In a statement issued Tuesday morning, the DOJ said one if its most important missions “is ensuring election integrity, supporting free and fair elections, and protecting the right to vote for U.S. citizens across the United States.”
The initiative is not new. The Justice Department has had election monitors observing elections in states nationwide since the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was enacted.
This midterm election, the size and scope of federal election monitoring is in place when Republicans are expected to see key losses during the second Trump administration. Now, the DOJ has implemented its “largest monitoring effort in history,” it says.
Roughly 1,000 federal election monitors were sent to all 50 states coordinated through the department’s Civil Rights Division. U.S. Attorney’s Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management have also been deployed. The federal personnel will be in contact with state and local election officials, the DOJ said.
The news comes after the Trump administration has been aggressively charging foreign nationals who are in the country illegally with illegally voting in dozens of states. It also came after the Trump administration lost its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in its election case against California and as a federal investigation is underway into voter fraud allegations in Alaska and lawsuits were filed.
DOJ election monitors will be focusing on ensuring that federal election laws are enforced, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act and Civil Rights Acts.
The department’s Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section will also be enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure that those with disabilities are being given “a full and equal opportunity to vote.” Its Criminal Section observers will be enforcing federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion, it says.
The Justice Department is urging Americans to call its election hotline at (800) 253-3931, email VEM@usdoj.gov or submit a complaint at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report to report any allegations of fraud or voter integrity concerns.
ADA concerns and complaints may be made by calling (800) 514-0301 or at www.ada.gov.
The DOJ said that complaints about disruptions at polling locations should be reported to local election officials, including those at the polling location. Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police by calling 911 and to the DOJ, it said.
The most Justice Department election integrity observers have been sent to Michigan (8 counties), Texas (7 counties), Georgia (6 counties), Illinois (6 counties) and Florida (5 counties).
DOJ observers were sent to counties in all 50 states. In California, they were sent to Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego counties.
Notably, observers were not sent to Zapata County, Texas, where election fraud and ADA “assisted voters” violation allegations have been repeatedly made, including in this election, The Center Square exclusively reported. A state criminal investigation is underway in Zapata County, and state officials recently arrested convicted felons in connection with illegal voting in Harris County.
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