DOJ to Send Election Monitors to Six Counties in California and New Jersey for Nov. 4

Overview

• The Justice Department will monitor Passaic County in New Jersey and the California counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno.
• Officials say the goal is to ensure transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal law during the off-year elections.
• The Civil Rights Division, led by Harmeet K. Dhillon, will run the effort in coordination with U.S. attorneys’ offices and local election officials.
• Democratic leaders, including New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, criticize the plan as inappropriate or intimidating, while county election officials describe federal observers as routine.
• The stakes include New Jersey’s gubernatorial race and California’s Proposition 50 on congressional redistricting, and the DOJ says it is accepting additional monitoring requests.