DOJ begins notifying counties for largest election monitoring drive

Officials in Colorado, Texas, and Minnesota express concerns over federal oversight methods and motivation.

By LineZotpaper

Published22 October 2026

Read Time3 min

The U.S. Department of Justice this week began notifying counties it plans to monitor for the general election, a process the department has called its largest monitoring effort in history. The notifications, sent to jurisdictions in Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington, have immediately revived tensions between federal election oversight and local control, with officials in several states raising questions about the scope and intent of the operation.

Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the department's Civil Rights Division, set the goal at 1,000 observers, calling it the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history. Federal monitoring is routine. The Biden administration observed 64 jurisdictions in 24 states in 2022. Yet the current political context has fundamentally changed how the effort is perceived. The Trump administration's persistent false claims about the 2020 election have prompted deep unease among local officials about the potential for federal observers to become instruments of interference.

The friction is not abstract. During Wyoming's August primary, the state's Republican governor took the unusual step of publicly condemning the "aggressive" and "irregular" behavior of federal monitors. The Laramie County clerk told NBC News that the monitors' conduct showed "complete disregard for our state laws." The DOJ disputed this account. Spokesperson Kiersten Pels told NPR, "We disagree with the public framing that the two monitors we sent were 'aggressive' or did anything improper," adding that officials met with Wyoming counterparts afterwards.

The notification process itself generated fresh headaches. In previous cycles, state officials were notified alongside counties. This year, according to anonymous officials in three states, the notifications initially went only to localities. State officials scrambled to determine where monitors would be deployed. Following an inquiry from NPR, multiple state officials reported receiving the appropriate notification.

In Colorado, Adams County Clerk Josh Zygielbaum told NPR he was suspicious of the selection process. His county contains a toss-up congressional district, but the neighboring Republican-run Weld County, which also sits in the district, was not targeted. "My initial thought is that it's politically motivated, and that this is potentially an intimidation technique," Zygielbaum said. Pels responded that Adams County was a priority because it is a competitive district covered by Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, which mandates language assistance for voters. Zygielbaum did not find the explanation entirely reassuring, stating it "still doesn't put me at ease that it's not a targeted visit." He has already requested a state staffer attend the polls to observe the federal monitors.

Colorado state officials are weighing their legal options. Spokesperson Jack Todd said, "We are considering these requests in collaboration with the Attorney General's Office," noting that state election rules require court orders or permission from the Secretary of State for outside observers.

Outside Colorado, resistance has been firmer. Texas blocked the Biden-era DOJ from polling places in 2024. Attorney General and current Senate candidate Ken Paxton said in a statement, "The DOJ knows it has no authority to monitor Texas elections." In Minnesota, where monitors were denied close access to polling places during the August primary, a final decision on Election Day access is pending.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The dispute directly tests the boundaries of federal power over state-run election administration.
The size of the monitoring operation (1,000 observers) and the political context create a high risk of confrontation at polling places.
The outcome will shape public confidence in the integrity and neutrality of the election process.

Background

The DOJ's Civil Rights Division has long monitored elections to enforce federal voting laws. The Trump administration's unprecedented challenge to state election authority has made this year's effort different in kind. The 1,000-observer goal is the largest ever, but prior incidents in Wyoming and the administration's rhetoric have eroded trust with local officials.

Key Perspectives

Department of Justice: Views the monitoring as a routine, expanded civil rights operation, prioritising compliance with the Voting Rights Act in competitive districts and multilingual access areas. Local Election Officials (Adams County, Laramie County): See the monitors as potential instruments of political intimidation, noting a lack of state coordination and behaviour that suggests disregard for local laws. Republican State Leaders (Colorado, Texas): Divided between those considering restrictive responses in Colorado and those, like Ken Paxton in Texas, who have already taken legal action to block the monitors entirely.

What to Watch

Whether Colorado formally restricts federal access, and how the DOJ responds.
Whether further incidents on Election Day prompt legal action against the monitors.
Any expansion of the list of counties targeted beyond the current known set.

Sources

The Justice Department begins notifying counties where it wants to monitor elections · OPB

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 5 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedThe DOJ is beginning notifications for an effort described as the largest election-monitoring effort in its history.OPB: “Last month, Harmeet Dhillon, the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said the department planned to send 1,000 observers nationwide, in what she termed “the largest monitoring effort” in DOJ history.”
Partly supportedOfficials in Colorado, Texas and Minnesota express concerns about federal oversight methods and motivation.OPB: “Zygielbaum said: “My initial thought is that it’s politically motivated, and that this is potentially an intimidation technique,” Zygielbaum said.”
SupportedThis week, the DOJ began notifying counties in Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Washington that it wants to monitor.OPB: “The Department of Justice this week began notifying the counties it wants to monitor on Election Day, NPR has learned. Counties in Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Washington have received notifications from the Justice Department so far”
Not in the sourcesThe notifications immediately revived tensions between federal oversight and local control.OPB
Partly supportedThe Trump administration’s persistent false claims about the 2020 election prompted deep unease among local officials about possible interference by federal observers.OPB: “The Trump administration’s unprecedented steps to try to wrestle control over elections from local and state governments have led to new concerns about DOJ monitoring this year.”
Partly supportedWyoming’s Republican governor publicly condemned monitors’ “aggressive” and “irregular” behavior during the August primary, an unusual step.OPB: “Most states reported no incidents with Justice Department monitors during primary elections earlier this year, but in Wyoming, the state’s Republican governor expressed concern about “aggressive” and “irregular” behavior by monitors for the state’s August primary.”
SupportedThe Laramie County clerk said the monitors’ conduct showed “complete disregard for our state laws.”OPB: “And the Republican county clerk of Laramie County told NBC News that the conduct of the monitors “showed complete disregard for our state laws and administration of our elections.””
SupportedIn three states, notifications initially went only to localities, and state officials received notification after NPR’s inquiry.OPB: “This year, that did not happen initially, according to officials in three states who spoke to NPR anonymously because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press. So states have been scrambling since the notifications began going out Tuesday to figure out where the DOJ plans to be. After NPR asked the DOJ why states had not been notified, multiple state officials told NPR they then received notification from the department.”
Partly supportedAdams County contains a toss-up congressional district, while neighboring Weld County also sits in that district.OPB: “Adams County includes part of the state’s 8th Congressional District, a toss-up district that could determine party control of the House of Representatives next year. Zygielbaum was surprised however that the DOJ reached out only to him, and not the Republican clerk in neighboring Weld County, which also houses a sizable portion of that same congressional district.”
SupportedPaxton said, “The DOJ knows it has no authority to monitor Texas elections.”OPB: ““The DOJ knows it has no authority to monitor Texas elections and backed down when Texas stood up for the rule of law,” Paxton said in a statement on Nov. 5, 2024.”
SupportedMinnesota monitors were denied close access to polling places during the August primary, and a final decision about Election Day access is pending.OPB: “The DOJ requested to send monitors to the same Minnesota counties during the state’s primary in August, but monitors were denied close access to polling locations. A spokesperson for the Minnesota secretary of state’s office said it was too soon to know whether a different decision would be made for this fall’s general election.”