DOJ sending election monitors to California, New Jersey voting sites
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will send election monitors to vote centers in California and New Jersey during the two states’ off-year elections next month.
DOJ officials will monitor six counties between the two states. They will be in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno counties, and they will be in Passaic County in New Jersey, the department said in a statement.
The department “regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities across the country,” the statement read.
“Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the statement. “We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free and transparent elections they deserve.”
Despite the regular role of monitoring elections, the decision comes as New Jersey holds an open gubernatorial seat and California is holding a special election to redraw its congressional map in fending off Republican redistricting efforts across the country.
Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said in in a social media post that the DOJ’s move is a “test run for 2026.”
California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks called out the election monitoring effort as “election interference by the California Republican Party…”
“Sadly, we’ve come to expect it from a so-called party operating as little more of Trump fan club — [especially] in trying to rig the game before it’s ever played,” Hicks wrote on social media.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin assured that voters will receive help from election officials to make the voting process go smoothly.
“Once again, we are prepared to ensure that all eligible New Jerseyans are able to cast their ballots without harassment, discrimination, or intimidation,” Platkin said in a statement Friday. “Those seeking to disrupt the voting process will be held accountable.”
Following the announcement, Platkin called out the department for being unable “to identify a legitimate basis for its actions,” The Associated Press reported.