US Justice Department plans to deploy 1,000 election observers — Fortune
In the United States, the Department of Justice plans to launch the largest voting observation program in its history during the midterm elections: around 1,000 department employees are expected to monitor compliance with federal law. At the same time, the Democratic Party, civic organizations, and Republican structures are forming their own observer networks, Fortune reports.
Thousands of volunteers from Democrats
According to the publication, Democratic Party organizations in the states have prepared approximately 10,000 volunteers who will monitor the situation near polling stations and report actions that cause concern. The organization Common Cause has trained another approximately 16,000 observers, while the Election Protection coalition, which includes 300 groups, has trained tens of thousands of additional volunteers.
The Association of State Democratic Committees at the Democratic National Committee has created a cyber unit to monitor and report online disinformation, including AI-generated deepfakes. According to Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Jane Kleeb, former CIA and FBI employees have been involved in its work. Democratic mayors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state are also conducting training based on scenarios of possible election crises.
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Plans of the Justice Department and Republicans
Justice Department spokesperson Kirsten Pells said that department employees would observe voting and would not interfere with it. According to an unnamed senior department official, observers will be sent to every state, with particular attention paid to densely populated areas, jurisdictions with previous problems, and districts with competitive races.
During the primaries, the Justice Department, according to its data, sent more than 100 observers to hundreds of polling stations. In Wyoming, this caused tension: Governor Mark Gordon called the conduct of two department representatives overly persistent and atypical, while a Laramie County official said they were not allowed to question voters. The department denied that its observers had acted improperly.
The Republican National Committee said it has deputy directors for election integrity in 22 states, including Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, and North Carolina. The committee has also recruited nearly 22,000 poll workers and continues to recruit volunteer observers for competitive districts.
