The Justice Department announced Friday it will send observers to polling places in California and New Jersey for the upcoming Nov. 4 general election, citing efforts to ensure transparency and compliance with federal voting laws.
According to the Ministry of Justice press releaseObservers from the Civil Rights Division will be present in six jurisdictions—Passaic County, New Jersey; and Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles counties in California. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the initiative is designed to “uphold the highest standards of election integrity” and ensure that “the American people receive the fair, free and transparent elections they deserve.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated that “Transparent election processes and election monitoring are critical tools for protecting our elections and ensuring public confidence in the integrity of our elections.” The acting U.S. Attorney confirmed that his office will “work tirelessly to maintain and protect the integrity of the election process,” and Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba added that “protecting elections means ensuring that every eligible voter can freely participate and every legal vote is counted.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks out harshly convicted statement in a video message claiming that the Trump administration had “no basis” to send observers to polling places in California. “This is about voter intimidation. This is about voter suppression, period, period,” Newsom said. He accused federal officials of creating “chill” by “federalizing the National Guard” and described the move as analogous to “masked men” from ICE or the Border Patrol showing up outside voting sites. “They don’t believe in fair and free elections,” Newsom continued. “Our republic, our democracy is at stake.”
In a series of posts on X, Newsom wrote“Donald Trump's Justice Department puppet has no right to interfere in next month's election” and called the move “a deliberate attempt to scare off voters and undermine the integrity of the election.” He also claimed“Trump is sending the Justice Department to California to 'observe' the election. His intentions are clear – he wants to suppress the vote. And when we win, he will falsely claim fraud. We will not be intimidated.”
Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) also criticized plan by writing on X:
The Justice Department's announcement, coming just hours before Donald Trump will host a campaign event with Jack Ciattarelli, lacks credibility. This is clearly a political act led by election denier Pam Bondi. This is not about election integrity, but rather the Trump administration is trying to intimidate voters and cast doubt on our legitimate and secure democratic process.
Dillon replied“Cry harder. @TheJusticeDept has been sending election observers to New Jersey for decades. We're just here to make sure no one's rights are violated. What's the problem? Did you have problems with Democratic AGs sending observers? Go ahead, share your tweets. We're waiting.”
Ministry of Justice marked that the Civil Rights Division's Voting Section enforces federal laws such as the Voting Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Uniformed and Alien Absentee Voting Act. The department also confirmed that it will receive public complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws until Election Day.
The rollout comes amid increased scrutiny of election procedures. Earlier this month, a California voter received two mail-in ballots for the same person is one example of broader concerns about the state's mail-in system and ballot harvesting laws. The issue coincides with a broader debate about how elections are structured across the country. Breitbart News correspondent Peter Schweitzer recently highlighted how congressional voting by race and gerrymandered minority-majority districts have tilted representation toward Democrats for decades. He noted that errors in the 2020 Census and opaque federal algorithms have raised new concerns about the integrity of elections across the country.
