Federal election monitors are stationed at polling places in Prince George's County, Fairfax County and Prince William County on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of the Justice Department's largest election monitoring operation ever.

The department said it deployed approximately 1,000 monitors and observers to all 50 states, a first in the agency's history, according to a DOJ statement. The effort is coordinated by the Civil Rights Division and includes personnel from U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Office of Personnel Management.

D.C. itself is not on the monitoring list.

The deployment dwarfs previous efforts. During the 2022 midterms, the Biden administration sent 388 monitors, according to Charlottesville Tomorrow. In 2024, there were about 100, DOJ lawyer Kathryn Barragan told a federal judge on Nov. 2, CNBC reported. Historically, monitors visited only jurisdictions with a history of discrimination in a limited number of states.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in the DOJ statement that the department was pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive manner.

Prince William blocks monitors from polls

Not every local jurisdiction is welcoming the monitors inside. Prince William County General Registrar Eric Olsen denied DOJ monitors access to his county's polling places, telling the Prince William Times he wants to avoid "inappropriate federal intervention," Charlottesville Tomorrow reported.

The DOJ said it would still send monitors to observe from outside, Axios reported.

Monitors may enter polling places only with the permission of local election officials, according to Votebeat. Several states, including Colorado, Indiana and Wyoming, have said they will not allow monitors within a certain distance of polls.

Voting rights groups raise concerns

The NAACP and other voting rights groups have said they believe the large deployment could suppress turnout, particularly among minority voters, USA Today reported.

The DOJ confirmed in a court filing that law enforcement personnel from agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Prisons will be part of the monitoring effort. The filing stated those individuals will not be armed and will not act in a law enforcement capacity, according to the NAACP. FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees will not serve as monitors, according to the same filing.

Kristen Clarke, NAACP general counsel, said in a statement that the organization remains determined to ensure all voters can cast ballots free from intimidation.

John Cusick, assistant counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, a civil rights group, told CNBC the administration's approach amounts to an attempt to intimidate voters and election officials.

D.C. takes its own precautions

D.C. residents raised concerns after National Guard members were spotted near a Foggy Bottom ballot box in October, Axios reported. The D.C. Board of Elections asked the National Guard to stay away from voting locations.

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb issued an advisory outlining restrictions on federal troops and law enforcement at polling places, Axios reported. DOJ monitors are prohibited from interfering with voting and must receive authorization to enter D.C. polling places, according to the advisory. The National Guard has been instructed not to monitor or secure polling places.

Voters who encounter issues at the polls can call the DOJ's election hotline at 800-253-3931 or email [email protected].