California deploys state election observers as DOJ expands national watch

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday afternoon that the state will send its own team of election observers to polling locations. This decision directly responds to the presence of federal monitors sent by the Department of Justice. Bonta stated that the state aims to address concerns that a heavy federal presence might intimidate voters.

The state is replicating a strategy it used in the previous two election cycles. In those prior contests, California dispatched its own observers to work in conjunction with federal personnel. The current federal effort involves 1,000 monitors deployed across the country. The Justice Department describes this operation as an effort to ensure election integrity and protect the right to vote. The monitors are drawn from the DOJ, U.S. Attorney's Offices, and the Office of Personnel Management.

The Justice Department confirmed on Tuesday that this is the largest monitoring operation in its history. For the first time, monitors are being sent to all 50 states. A list released by the department shows that California will host monitors in Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento, and San Diego. Critics, including Bonta, have argued that this unusually large federal footprint could discourage some individuals from casting ballots.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, previously told Bloomberg that monitors will observe practices and investigate potential fraud after the fact. The department added in its Tuesday announcement that monitors will also verify that polling places are accessible to voters with disabilities. Dhillon stated that federal monitors will respect state laws regarding their physical placement at polling sites.

Dhillon noted that the department sent more than 80 monitors to primary elections in seven states earlier this year. Those states included Minnesota, Michigan, Florida, Wyoming, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The nationwide deployment appeared to proceed without major incident on Tuesday afternoon. No significant confrontations involving federal monitors were publicly reported by that time.

This announcement follows a Supreme Court decision issued on Monday. The court rejected the Trump administration's effort to require California election officials to segregate ballots. The DOJ believed those ballots were cast by 20,000 noncitizen voters. The state's move to deploy its own observers lands one day after that judicial ruling.