An article summarized by CBS News:
The Justice Department plans to deploy up to 1,000 federal monitors to polling places across the country during the 2026 midterm elections, according to Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon. The DOJ has long sent personnel to monitor elections for compliance with federal voting-rights laws, including protections against discrimination and voter intimidation. However, the planned deployment would be significantly larger than in previous elections, when the department typically sent dozens of staff to selected jurisdictions.
The effort comes as the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division has undergone major changes under the Trump administration, with more than 70% of its career staff reportedly leaving through retirement or resignation. Because of staffing shortages, the department plans to recruit volunteers from other federal employees, including workers at U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The DOJ is expected to release the full list of locations after the primary elections, and it has already announced monitoring in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Laramie County, Wyoming.
The expanded monitoring is also taking place amid a broader dispute over election administration. The Civil Rights Division has filed 31 lawsuits seeking states’ unredacted voter data, saying the information is needed to verify voter rolls and ensure noncitizens are not registered; states have challenged those requests, and judges have blocked the DOJ’s requests in 23 cases so far. Some state officials have therefore questioned the department’s motives, while the DOJ maintains its efforts are focused on election integrity and enforcement of federal voting laws.
