Overview
- DOJ said Civil Rights Division personnel will observe polling on Nov. 4 in Passaic County, N.J., and in California’s Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles counties.
- Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon framed the effort as ensuring transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal voting rights laws, coordinated with U.S. attorneys.
- The monitoring coincides with California’s Proposition 50 redistricting vote and New Jersey’s competitive governor’s race, bringing heightened attention to both contests.
- State Republican parties requested the deployments citing reported irregularities, including a New Jersey request to oversee mail-ballot processing and access to the Board of Elections, while Democrats such as N.J. Attorney General Matt Platkin called the move highly inappropriate.
- Election experts flagged unanswered questions about the legal basis, the identities and qualifications of monitors, local coordination or consent, and early-voting coverage; DOJ invited public complaints and monitoring requests at VEM@usdoj.gov.