Trump’s DOJ sends 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states as voters head to the polls

The nationwide deployment marks a significant expansion from previous elections, drawing scrutiny from voting rights advocates and Republican officials alike.

As voters headed to the polls Tuesday, federal monitors were heading to them too. Journalist Phil Lewis flagged the Justice Department’s announcement on Threads, sharing HuffPost’s live coverage noting that the agency is deploying roughly 1,000 election monitors to polling places across all 50 states.

DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels confirmed the figure to States Newsroom last week, saying the department would not release a complete list of locations until Election Day.

Monitoring itself is not new. The department has sent observers to watch for compliance with federal voting rights laws for decades. What sets this year apart is the scope. During the 2022 midterms, the DOJ sent monitors to 64 jurisdictions across 24 states. This cycle, it is claiming a presence in every state.

Some locations surfaced ahead of time as officials announced them. Monitors are expected in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Lehigh and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania, Prince George’s County in Maryland, Washington’s King County, the Portland area of Oregon, Portland and Lewiston in Maine, and Salt Lake County, Utah.

Reaction under Lewis’ post was swift and pointed. One user summed up a widely shared suspicion in four words: “Going to all the Black places.” A commenter from South Carolina said targeting Charleston was “on brand” for the president, arguing locals there have no patience for him. Another quipped that Shelby County, Tennessee, apparently had not been gerrymandered enough. A Washington user said they had “thoughts” about King and Yakima counties appearing on the list, urging others to stay safe.

Others focused on resilience. One commenter predicted the effort would be challenged in blue and purple states, writing that voters are “not buying the fearmongering.”

Another, identifying as a Westchester County, New York, resident, reported that voting machines there were down and urged people to vote anyway, noting ballots would be hand counted. That claim had not been independently confirmed.

The department insists the role is limited. Pels said monitors will observe and report potential federal law violations for review after Election Day. Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican, said she was assured monitors would not approach voters or wear insignia.

Skepticism has crossed party lines. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, also a Republican, called DOJ personnel’s behavior during his state’s primary “very odd.” Harry Black of the Brennan Center questioned the scale against more than 95,000 polling places nationwide. “The math just ain’t mathing,” he said.

The NAACP sued in October seeking records about the program, arguing the deployment could intimidate voters. A federal judge denied an emergency order, though the case remains pending. Experts say 1,000 monitors are too few to disrupt voting broadly.