The U.S. Department of Justice sent 71 federal election monitors to eight Michigan cities on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to Democracy Docket, citing Michigan’s secretary of state’s office. The deployment is part of a nationwide effort involving roughly 1,000 monitors and observers across all 50 states.

It is the largest election monitoring effort in DOJ history, according to a department press release. The DOJ has sent election monitors since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, but this is the first time its deployment covered all 50 states.

The department’s published list names eight Michigan cities: Lansing, East Lansing, Grand Rapids, Flint, Detroit, Hamtramck, Warren and Dearborn. Michigan had the most monitored locations of any state, according to Democracy Docket.

The scale marks a sharp increase. In 2024, the DOJ sent monitors to 86 jurisdictions across 27 states. In the 2022 midterms, it covered 64 jurisdictions in 24 states, according to the department’s announcements.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division, which coordinated the effort, said in a statement that the department was “pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.”

The monitors check for compliance with federal voting rights laws. The nationwide deployment draws personnel from across the DOJ, including the Civil Rights Division and U.S. attorney’s offices, as well as federal observers supplied by the Office of Personnel Management, the department said.

The program drew concern from voting rights groups. The NAACP sued the DOJ Oct. 2 for records about the monitoring program, arguing in its complaint that the deployment could interfere with voters’ right to cast ballots without intimidation. Michigan Advance reported Oct. 27 that a judge denied emergency relief seeking immediate records production; the underlying case remained pending at that time.

USA Today reported that in states with competitive Senate races, monitors were assigned to cities and counties with disproportionately high Black and Hispanic populations, according to U.S. Census data.

Common Cause policy director and counsel Andrew Walchuk questioned monitors’ training and experience and warned they could exceed their authority, Michigan Advance reported.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said DOJ monitors are a standard part of Michigan’s election process, according to an Oct. 22 state announcement. She added that her office “stands ready to hold accountable those who attempt to unlawfully interfere with or intimidate Michigan voters or election workers, regardless of who they may be.”

Michigan officials said DOJ monitors operate as public poll watchers and cannot question voters, handle ballots or voting equipment, or disrupt election administration. Separately, DOJ guidance explains that federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management can be assigned under court orders authorizing their presence.

Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call the DOJ’s election hotline at 800-253-3931 or email [email protected].