DOJ to Deploy Election Monitors in Oregon Ahead of November Vote

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division notified Oregon’s Secretary of State that it will send election monitors to Multnomah County for the November 3 election. The notification, sent on Thursday, is part of a nationwide deployment that includes Colorado, Florida, Utah, Minnesota, Texas and Washington.

The rollout follows a statement by Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Civil Rights Division, announcing a plan to place 1,000 observers across the country, described as the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history. The department has previously sent attorneys and staff to monitor elections during primary contests.

Secretary of State Tobias Read said Oregon’s election system is “secure, accurate and fair” and affirmed that observers must comply with state law. > “It is not legal for these observers or anyone else to interfere with Oregon’s elections – even the Department of Justice. We are prepared. We will follow the law, and we will make sure the Department of Justice does the same,” Read said.

Read added that DOJ monitors will have no special authority in Oregon; they cannot enter restricted areas, inspect voting equipment, handle ballots or demand access to records. Observers may watch election activities, document possible violations of federal voting laws and raise concerns with officials, but they are barred from speaking with poll workers, interfering with voter-worker interactions, photographing sensitive information or handling ballots.

The DOJ’s use of election monitors historically aimed to enforce the Voting Rights Act and protect voters from discrimination. Recent concerns arose after two monitors in Wyoming’s August primary were described as “irregular” and “a bit aggressive” for attempting to interview voters and examine poll-worker materials, though the department denied any misconduct.