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2w ago

DOJ Sends Civil Rights Monitors to Twin Cities Primaries; Counties Bar Inside Access

Federal teams will observe polling sites from public areas to check compliance with voting laws and states will watch the observers to enforce Minnesota rules.

(WBFF)
BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 04: Voting stickers on display as U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), candidate for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, casts her ballot at Baldwin Public Library on August 04, 2026 in Birmingham, Michigan. Michigan has a nationally watched U.S. Senate primary where Stevens is competing against epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed to decide who will run against former Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat. (Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images)
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BURNSVILLE, MN - AUGUST 03: Minnesota Secretary Of State Steve Simon speaks with media before a public accuracy test of voting equipment on August 3, 2022 in Burnsville, Minnesota. State officials have reiterated their commitment to secure and accurate elections as election integrity is subject to growing public scrutiny. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Department of Justice deployed about 20 Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office staff to monitor selected polling places in Hennepin and Ramsey counties on Tuesday and local officials denied them permission to enter precincts.
  • Because Minnesota law requires local consent for inside access, DOJ monitors were directed to remain outside the 100-foot boundary around polling places while they observe ballot security and compliance with federal voting laws.
  • Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and Attorney General Keith Ellison arranged state observers to track the federal teams and county prosecutors warned they will investigate and, if warranted, prosecute any reports of voter intimidation.
  • The DOJ says the deployment is part of a nationwide monitoring effort and has already placed more than 50 monitors in seven counties this primary season with previous Minnesota deployments in 2020, 2022 and 2024.
  • Voters may be approached for voluntary interviews by monitors, the DOJ will accept complaints through the general election on Nov. 3, and officials say public concern over federal presence could shape how the teams operate and how authorities respond to complaints.