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DOJ Deploys Record 1,000 Poll Monitors for Midterms
· Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. Department of Justice is deploying a record number of 1,000 poll monitors across all 50 states for the 2026 midterm elections.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is deploying a record number of 1,000 poll monitors across all 50 states for the 2026 midterm elections, a significant increase from previous years when 289 monitors were deployed in 2022 and 714 in 2024.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the plan to deploy these monitors, stating that they would observe for potential violations of federal law and report concerns to the department.
The DOJ generally relies on a lack of objection by state and local officials to give its attorney monitors permission to enter polling places, but the ambiguity surrounding the program means state and local officials are usually unsure if they can deny permission.
The NAACP has sued the Trump administration, seeking records about its plan to deploy roughly 1,000 federal personnel to polling places during the 2026 midterms, citing concerns about unnecessary law enforcement presence at polling sites.
The NAACP argues that the unprecedented deployment of federal officials could jeopardize the election and interfere with the right of voters to participate free from intimidation.
The monitors are directed to only observe and take notes, and are not allowed to intimidate voters or push them to vote for specific candidates.
The decision comes as the Justice Department plans to send 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states, a significant expansion from the Biden administration, which sent monitors to 24 states for the 2022 midterm elections.
Democratic state parties have launched the New Battlefield Project, pledging to recruit 10,000 volunteers specifically to guard polling places amid fears that armed federal officers could appear on Election Day.
The mobilization of partisan volunteers, nonpartisan monitors, and federal officials highlights the deeply fractured trust in American democracy heading into the 2026 midterms.
The DOJ has confirmed that all poll monitors will comply with local law and that monitors pulled from agencies like the DEA, BOP, and ATF will only be administrative or clerical personnel, not sworn law enforcement agents.
The increase in monitors comes as President Donald Trump continues to make unsubstantiated claims of possible widespread voter fraud, alleging unauthorized voters, including noncitizens, could be participating.
The DOJ's election observation program, once a behind-the-scenes effort with a record of nonpartisan success, has made headlines during the 2026 midterm primaries because of conduct that state officials have called “dangerous” and “irregular.”
What this adds
The NAACP's lawsuit seeks to confirm the involvement of David Michael Levin, who pleaded guilty to illegally accessing election websites in 2016, in election monitoring during the 2026 primaries.
What's confirmed
- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is deploying a record number of 1,000 poll monitors across all 50 states for the 2026 midterm elections, a significant increase from previous years when 289 monitors were deployed in 2022 and 714 in 2024.
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the plan to deploy these monitors, stating that they would observe for potential violations of federal law and report concerns to the department.
- The DOJ generally relies on a lack of objection by state and local officials to give its attorney monitors permission to enter polling places, but the ambiguity surrounding the program means state and local officials are usually unsure if they can deny permission.
- The NAACP has sued the Trump administration, seeking records about its plan to deploy roughly 1,000 federal personnel to polling places during the 2026 midterms, citing concerns about unnecessary law enforcement presence at polling sites.
- The NAACP argues that the unprecedented deployment of federal officials could jeopardize the election and interfere with the right of voters to participate free from intimidation.
- The monitors are directed to only observe and take notes, and are not allowed to intimidate voters or push them to vote for specific candidates.
- The decision comes as the Justice Department plans to send 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states, a significant expansion from the Biden administration, which sent monitors to 24 states for the 2022 midterm elections.
- Democratic state parties have launched the New Battlefield Project, pledging to recruit 10,000 volunteers specifically to guard polling places amid fears that armed federal officers could appear on Election Day.
- The mobilization of partisan volunteers, nonpartisan monitors, and federal officials highlights the deeply fractured trust in American democracy heading into the 2026 midterms.
- The DOJ has confirmed that all poll monitors will comply with local law and that monitors pulled from agencies like the DEA, BOP, and ATF will only be administrative or clerical personnel, not sworn law enforcement agents.
- The increase in monitors comes as President Donald Trump continues to make unsubstantiated claims of possible widespread voter fraud, alleging unauthorized voters, including noncitizens, could be participating.
What's still developing
- Because these barriers were often imposed by the same local officials charged with administering elections, Congress established a federal election observer program, authorizing employees of the federal government to enter polling places and other election administration facilities to document voting discrimination firsthand.
- In September, Dhillon said DOJ had already visited 11 states and hundreds of polling locations.
- 🇺🇸 Election news from around the country READ MORE Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane and Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple, both elected Republican election officials, say they aren’t worried about the deployment Voters cast their ballots in the general election on Nov. 5, 2024, at Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) The Trump administration is sending election monitors to Idaho’s largest county on Election Day next week, the state’s top election official confirmed Wednesday.
- “All monitors must meet the same legal and ethical requirements, including that they not interfere with the voting process,” the spokesperson said.
- “Every monitor has the same role: observe for potential violations of federal law and report concerns to the Department, which the Department will review after Election Day and act where appropriate.” Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News.
- The organization draws a meaningful distinction between monitors — who complete formal training programs and have standing to challenge overreach by partisan poll watchers — and poll watchers themselves, who are explicitly partisan and typically must remain outside the polling place.
- At least 18 polling locations were moved across seven Florida counties — including Brevard County, Highlands County, Indian River County, Martin County, Okeechobee County, Palm Beach County and St.
- Deploying poll monitors is not unusual and has been done under presidential administrations in both parties.
- Monitors also generally go to areas with a history of discrimination.
- Democracy Docket exclusively reported that Levin, who pleaded guilty after illegally accessing election websites in 2016, served as an election monitor in Minneapolis during the primaries.
- "technical issues with ballot scanners in Westchester."
- In the filing today, DOJ attorney Andrew Warden said the Drug Enforcement Agency pre-emptively prohibited sworn officers from serving as election monitors, and that the Civil Rights division “exercised its discretion to subsequently consult with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service to ensure no employee from those agencies who were signed up to monitor were sworn law enforcement agents,” and had removed several sworn law enforcement officers who had signed up to volunteer.