DOJ to Deploy Election Monitors in Six States for 2026 Primaries

The Justice Department said on Tuesday it will place federal election monitors in 15 jurisdictions across six states for the 2026 primary elections. Civil Rights Division chief Harmeet Dhillon indicated the monitors will operate in Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Virginia, focusing on language access, disability access and polling-place hours.

Dhillon noted that the department sent monitors to nine jurisdictions during the 2022 primaries and 27 jurisdictions in the 2024 election, describing the 2026 deployment as a continuation of routine oversight.

The announcement coincides with the department’s issuance of letters to election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, warning that officials could face criminal prosecution if they knowingly retain noncitizens on voter rolls or allow them to vote. The Justice Department has also faced a series of court defeats in attempts to obtain unredacted statewide voter rolls.

"It’s also important to make sure that our voting is accurate so that every citizen who votes has their vote counted equally without being canceled out by somebody who shouldn’t be voting," Dhillon said.

Dhillon suggested the monitoring effort could expand ahead of the general election.

"Stay tuned as we get towards the general election where there’ll be an even more expanded program for vote monitors," she added.