Thousands of Election Observers Prepare for Midterms as DOJ Expands Monitoring/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Democrats, nonprofit watchdogs and Republican organizations are preparing extensive election monitoring operations ahead of the midterms. The Justice Department plans to deploy approximately 1,000 staff members nationwide, while outside groups have trained tens of thousands of volunteers. Local officials are preparing for increased scrutiny and possible confusion, as the administration denies plans to send immigration agents or troops to polling places.
Quick Look
- Democratic volunteers: State parties have trained an estimated 10,000 polling-place observers.
- Watchdog presence: Common Cause has trained roughly 16,000 volunteers, with a broader coalition preparing tens of thousands more.
- Federal monitoring: Approximately 1,000 Justice Department employees are expected to observe voting nationwide.
- Republican operation: The RNC has deputy state directors in 22 states and has enlisted nearly 22,000 poll workers.
- Cybersecurity effort: A Democratic committee created a unit involving former intelligence and law enforcement officials.
- Deployment denials: Administration officials say there are no plans to send ICE agents or troops to voting locations.
- Coordination concerns: Some organizers worry that numerous independent monitoring efforts could create confusion.
- Early observations: Volunteers are already monitoring early voting in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio.
Deep Look
Election Monitoring Efforts Expand Ahead of Midterms
Democrats and outside watchdog organizations are preparing a large Election Day presence amid concerns that President Donald Trump could use federal resources to interfere with voting.
Their efforts will overlap with the Justice Department’s largest-ever election monitoring operation and additional observers organized by Republican-aligned groups.
The result could bring an unusually large number of monitors to polling locations as voters decide elections that will shape the remainder of Trump’s term.
Democratic parties and nonprofit groups are training volunteers to observe activity outside polling places and report potential problems. Participants include Common Cause, the American Civil Liberties Union, congressional Democrats and national activist organizations.
Democrats Create Cybersecurity Unit and Practice Emergency Responses
The Democratic National Committee’s Association of State Democratic Committees established a cybersecurity unit staffed by former CIA and FBI officials.
According to DNC Vice Chair Jane Kleeb, the unit will monitor and report online misinformation, including AI-generated deepfakes.
Democratic mayors, attorneys general and secretaries of state have also held tabletop exercises addressing possible scenarios such as immigration agents arriving at voting locations or federal officials seizing ballots and equipment.
Congressional Democratic leaders have assembled a legal operation comparable in scale to those used by presidential campaigns.
“We’ve never done this before,” Kleeb said.
But “we’ve never had to deal with the president of the United States saying that he may seize ballots, put ICE agents outside polling locations and other kinds of very clear direct threats to the voting process.”
Administration Denies Plans for ICE or Military Deployments
The Justice Department has already filed lawsuits in California and Alaska that could affect ballot counting or election certification.
Trump has continued making baseless allegations of election cheating. Administration and military officials, however, say they have no plans to deploy immigration agents or troops to polling sites.
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis accused “radical Democrats” of generating election-security fears by opposing voter identification requirements and other Republican-backed measures.
“President Trump has done more than any other president to ensure we have free and fair elections,” Bis said.
Watchdog Coalition Trains Tens of Thousands of Observers
State Democratic parties have trained approximately 10,000 volunteers to watch polling places and report concerning activity involving federal agents.
Common Cause has prepared roughly 16,000 additional volunteersaccording to Suzanne Almeida, the organization’s vice president of states.
A broader Election Protection coalition involving 300 other organizations has trained tens of thousands more.
Senate Democrats have organized roughly 100 volunteers. The Democratic-allied group Save America is preparing hundreds of clergy members, veterans, teachers and other community members.
Indivisible and MoveOn are also activating their networks.
Organizers Acknowledge Risk of Polling-Place Confusion
The number of groups involved presents its own challenges.
Some organizations cannot legally coordinate with one another, raising concerns that overlapping operations could unintentionally create disorder outside polling locations.
Almeida acknowledged that confusion was possible in some precincts but said the potential risks justified broad participation.
“It will actually take all of us if some of the threats we are most worried about come to pass,” she said.
Justice Department Plans Approximately 1,000 Monitors
Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, rejected suggestions that ICE agents would be sent to polling places.
“There is no plan to do that,” she told CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
The department nevertheless intends to conduct its largest election monitoring effort, with approximately 1,000 employees observing voting and compliance with federal law, spokesperson Kiersten Pels said.
During the primary season, the department reported deploying more than 100 monitors across hundreds of polling locations.
A senior department official said the November operation would reach every state, emphasizing populous areas, jurisdictions with previous problems and districts facing close elections.
The official spoke anonymously under conditions established by the department.
Wyoming Primary Experience Raised Local Concerns
One federal monitoring deployment during the primaries caused friction in Wyoming.
Republican Gov. Mark Gordon described two monitors’ conduct as “a bit aggressive” and “irregular.”
A Laramie County clerk said the federal personnel intended to interview voters but were prevented from doing so by her office.
Pels disputed that the monitors had acted improperly.
She said department staff are trained to follow federal rules governing conduct at polling places and will not “interfere with the voting process.”
Democratic lawmakers and voting rights advocates remain concerned that federal monitors could intimidate voters or depart from their longstanding civil rights protection role.
Republicans Build Separate Election Monitoring Network
The Republican National Committee is deploying “election integrity deputy state directors” in 22 states, including Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina.
Ally Triolo, the RNC’s election integrity communications director, described them as the “eyes and the ears of the RNC in the field.”
Their responsibilities include recruiting volunteers, organizing training and identifying potentially unlawful activity.
The RNC has also enlisted nearly 22,000 poll workers and is recruiting poll watchers for competitive congressional districts.
Those are distinct roles: poll workers help administer elections, while observers watch the process.
The poll watchers will “observe the process and help ensure election rules are followed in accordance with the law,” Triolo said.
Local Election Officials Prepare for Federal Attention
Federal monitors have observed American elections for decadesgenerally without incident. Some local officials are nevertheless taking additional precautions this year.
Chris Swope, the city clerk in Lansing, Michigan, contacted law enforcement and his attorney in advance in case federal monitors violate election rules.
He said he expects them to comply with the law.
The Democratic Mayors Association has circulated guidance explaining how local officials should respond if federal agents appear at voting locations.
Its guidance describes restrictions on federal investigative personnel, weapons, interactions with voters and the handling of ballots or election equipment.
Justice Department officials say their monitors will be unarmed and will not interfere with voting.
Asked recently about federal monitors going to Georgia, Trump said: “They’re not going to do anything other than watch.”
Early Voting Observers Seek to Reassure Voters
Some monitoring operations are already underway.
Save America Executive Director Mary Corcoran said her organization’s volunteers have observed early voting precincts in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio.
She said their presence is intended to give voters confidence and counter fears that could discourage participation.
“The fear is the point, and we must do something about it,” Corcoran said. “Left unanswered, fear does the work of keeping people home without a single agent setting foot at a polling place.”
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