Overview
- Federal teams from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Michigan U.S. attorney offices were present at polling sites in Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing and East Lansing during Tuesday’s primary to observe procedures and document compliance with federal voting laws.
- Monitors acted only as observers who did not handle ballots or run elections, and post-election reporting from local officials and reporters found they kept a low profile and did not meaningfully disrupt voting.
- The DOJ notified Detroit, Lansing and East Lansing in letters this summer requesting precinct lists, training materials and maps and said those requests were linked to alleged 2024 compliance problems that contributed to long lines.
- Civil-rights groups in Detroit said they would ‘‘monitor the monitors’’ and deploy legal teams if needed, while a group of 10 Democratic senators asked the department for formal assurances that monitoring would not be used for partisan targeting or to discourage voters.
- Election monitoring is a long‑standing federal practice used under both parties to enforce laws like the Voting Rights Act and HAVA, and the DOJ says it may continue or expand monitoring through the Nov. 3 general election and will accept complaints in the meantime.