Prince George's County is the only jurisdiction in Maryland where federal election monitors are stationed on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as the Department of Justice (DOJ) carries out what it called the largest election monitoring operation in its history.
Montgomery County is not on the DOJ's list of monitored jurisdictions.
The department deployed approximately 1,000 monitors and observers to polling locations across all 50 states for the first time, according to a DOJ announcement released Tuesday. The effort is coordinated by the Civil Rights Division and includes personnel from multiple DOJ components, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that election integrity has been a top priority for the administration and the division. The department said monitors are checking compliance with federal voting rights laws, including the Voting Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act.
The scale marks a sharp increase. Newsweek reported that 289 monitors were deployed for the 2022 midterms and 714 for the 2024 presidential election.
Maryland prepared for the deployment
Maryland officials spent weeks preparing for the possibility of federal agents at polling places, according to The Maryland Wire. Gov. Wes Moore, elections administrator Jared DeMarinis and Attorney General Anthony Brown set up hotlines and planned worst-case scenarios. DeMarinis said federal agents and National Guard members have "no legitimate business being inside a polling location," according to the newsletter.
Joanne Antoine of Common Cause Maryland said the group added scenario planning and de-escalation training for its roughly 250 volunteer poll monitors. Voters who see federal agents at the polls were told to report it to Common Cause's hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.
Nearby Virginia jurisdictions also on the list
Across the Potomac, the DOJ listed Fairfax, Prince William, Charlottesville and Virginia Beach as Virginia jurisdictions receiving monitors, according to the department's announcement. Axios reported that Prince William County officials said federal monitors would not be allowed inside polling places. The DOJ said it would still send monitors to observe from outside, according to the Prince William Times, as cited by Axios.
Voting rights groups challenged the program
The NAACP and Advancement Project filed a lawsuit on Oct. 16 in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleging the monitoring program amounts to voter intimidation. The suit was filed on behalf of the NAACP and three members from Arizona, Texas and Florida, according to Bloomberg Law.
Kristen Clarke, NAACP general counsel, said in a statement that the Justice Department "is abusing its power and authority by deploying 'monitors' to discourage people from voting and to disrupt the election process."
A DOJ spokesperson called the suit "built on a foundation of unwarranted fear and baseless speculation," according to Bloomberg Law. The spokesperson said the monitoring program ensures compliance with federal law.
In an Oct. 28 court filing, the DOJ clarified that FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel would not serve as monitors, Newsweek reported. Monitors will include employees from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, ATF, DEA and Customs and Border Protection. The department said those deployed would not carry firearms or exercise law enforcement authority, according to court filings cited by Newsweek.
Election officials in at least five states restricted or challenged the monitors' access to polling places, Newsweek reported on Oct. 30. Officials in Indiana, Kentucky, and Washington County, Arkansas, said monitors could not enter polling locations without legal authorization.
Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's hotline at 800-253-3931 or email [email protected].
