Election officials in several states are refusing to allow Justice Department election monitors inside polling places during next week’s midterm elections as the federal government prepares its largest election-monitoring operation to date. Officials in Indiana and Kentucky, as well as Washington County, Arkansas, have said Justice Department monitors will have to remain outside polling locations when voters cast ballots on November 3. The restrictions come as the department plans to deploy roughly 1,000 monitors across all 50 states.
Federal election monitoring predates the current administration, but this year's operation is expected to be much larger. By comparison, 289 monitors were deployed for the 2022 midterms and 714 for the 2024 presidential election. A Justice Department spokesperson told Newsweek in an email that the department has "never said that it would send federal law enforcement to the polls." The department has not provided Newsweek with a full list of jurisdictions where its monitors will be deployed.
Asked whether the locations had been finalized, the spokesperson said the department would provide its full list on Election Day. The department has separately said its monitors will observe and report potential violations of federal law and are subject to requirements that they not interfere with voting. Monitors will include employees from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, ATF, DEA, and CBP, with the Justice Department saying those deployed will be limited to routine Civil Rights Division monitoring duties, according to court filings.
The Trump administration’s unprecedented expansion of federal election monitoring is raising concerns about voter intimidation, federal overreach, and the potential suppression of eligible voters. Critics warn that an increased federal presence around polling places could fuel fear and deter eligible voters from casting ballots. The Justice Department says its monitors will observe and report potential violations without interfering with voting, but officials in several states are challenging their access to polling places, citing state laws and the need to protect voters from intimidation.
The deployment comes amid the administration’s crackdown on alleged illegal voting, including clamping down on noncitizens and lawful permanent residents. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. At a Republican midterm convention in Dallas in September, he urged supporters to “try and cheat like hell,” even as his administration has framed its expanded election monitoring and crackdown on alleged illegal voting as efforts to protect election integrity.
Indiana election officials said Justice Department monitors assigned to Marion and Lake counties will not be permitted inside voting locations under state law. "Their default position is to remain outside and not enter the voting location unless state law otherwise permits their entry," an Indiana Election Division official told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. "In our agency's view, our state law does not give federal monitors access to enter any voting location." Up to 12 monitors are expected in Marion County and another dozen in Lake County, according to local election officials.
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