DOJ Announces Election Monitoring in California and New Jersey Ahead of November Election

Strategic Insights -

The Department of Justice has announced plans to send federal election monitors to California and New Jersey ahead of November's election, sparking questions from election experts and raising concerns about the qualifications of the observers. The monitoring will focus on six jurisdictions, including a key swing county in northern New Jersey and five counties in southern and central California. The Justice Department cited the need to "protect the votes of eligible American citizens," but has not specified which federal law it will be enforcing or what qualifications the observers will have.

The move has been met with skepticism from election experts, who point out that the Justice Department has not provided enough information about the monitoring process. David Becker, a former DOJ lawyer and executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, noted that the announcement is unusual in its vagueness. "They are very vague about this, but the federal laws that the Justice Department uses to monitor elections generally are the laws that protect minority and minority-language voters from any kind of discrimination in voting," Becker said. "I haven't seen any allegations that any of these jurisdictions may potentially have problems with those."

The monitoring is set to be overseen by the Civil Rights Division and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, but the qualifications of the observers have not been made clear. Typically, these monitors are Department of Justice Voting Section attorneys, but due to a lack of staff, it's unclear who will be sent. "There aren't that many voting section attorneys right now, and they're looking at several counties to monitor," Becker explained. "So I think it's appropriate for the Department of Justice to reveal who's going to be monitoring, and if they're not voting section attorneys, what qualifications do they have to assess compliance with any federal law."

Key Takeaways:

  • The Department of Justice has announced plans to send federal election monitors to six jurisdictions in California and New Jersey ahead of November's election.
  • Election experts have raised concerns about the qualifications of the observers and the lack of specificity in the Justice Department's announcement.
  • The monitoring will focus on jurisdictions with closely watched elections, including a key swing county in northern New Jersey and five counties in southern and central California.
  • The Justice Department has not specified which federal law it will be enforcing or who will be observing the jurisdictions.
  • The monitoring will be overseen by the Civil Rights Division and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, but the qualifications of the observers have not been made clear.
  • David Becker, a former DOJ lawyer and executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, noted that the announcement is unusual in its vagueness.
  • Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, said on social media that the announcement was a "test run for 2026."
  • New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin has criticized the announcement, saying that the DOJ has not identified a legitimate basis for its actions.

Statistics:

  • The monitoring will focus on six jurisdictions in California and New Jersey.
  • The jurisdictions include a key swing county in northern New Jersey and five counties in southern and central California.
  • The Justice Department has not specified which federal law it will be enforcing.
  • There are currently not enough voting section attorneys at the DOJ to handle the monitoring.
  • The monitoring will be overseen by the Civil Rights Division.
  • The Justice Department's announcement did not specify which organizations or individuals will be providing the observers.

Sources:

  • Associated Press (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/new-jersey-republicans-federal-monitors-critical-county-ahead-126738393)
  • Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/24/doj-election-monitors-new-jersey-california-voting/acbd4102-b0e6-11f0-ab72-a5fffa9bf3eb_story.html)
  • TPM (https://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/doj-election-monitors-california-new-jersey)
  • Twitter profile of Rick Hasen (https://bsky.app/profile/rickhasen.bsky.social/post/3m3xhqlfi722k)