AmericaMinistry of Justice Today, it said it was deploying 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states in the United States, calling it the largest Election Day surveillance operation in United States history.
The US Justice Department in a statement listed the jurisdictions in each state that will receive monitors and observers, Reuters reported.
Justice Department officials said priority areas for sending personnel include areas where votersvote Areas with a history of civil rights issues, and tightly contested constituencies that may be targets of voter intimidation.
The Trump administration has taken an increasingly aggressive approach to election oversight, pressuring states to provide voter registration data and arguing for tougher measures to ensure public confidence in voting. Critics view these measures asfederal government Ultra Wires.
After the federal government expanded its election observation program, several states issued new guidelines informing local election officials and poll workers about the limited authority of Justice Department observers on Election Day.
“Election monitors will investigate localities’ compliance with federal voting rights regulations within the jurisdiction of the (Civil Rights Division),” the Justice Department said in a statement.
Some state and local laws allow election officials to ban Justice Department monitors from polling places. Additionally, Justice Department officials were unable to conduct on-site investigations or otherwise prevent anyone from voting.
The number of monitors sent this time is almost three times that of the last midterm elections, which will be the largest monitoring operation in the history of the Ministry of Justice.
