DOJ to Deploy 1,000 Monitors for 2026 Midterm Elections

The United States Department of Justice is preparing to deploy approximately 1,000 federal monitors to polling locations nationwide for the 2026 midterm elections, as announced by Harmeet Dhillon, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. This deployment represents a substantial increase from the 289 personnel sent during the 2022 midterms and the 714 personnel during the 2024 presidential election.

The Justice Department has historically monitored polling stations to ensure compliance with federal voting laws, particularly the Voting Rights Act. However, the Civil Rights Division has faced staffing reductions, with over 70% of its career employees reportedly resigning or retiring under the Trump administration.

To address this, the DOJ plans to recruit volunteers from the federal workforce, focusing on DOJ employees. The department will announce specific polling locations after the primary elections, with initial plans to send monitors to Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Laramie County, Wyoming.

The expansion of monitoring comes amid tensions with states over access to voter information.