The Justice Department begins notifying counties where it wants to monitor elections

The department has long deployed election monitors, but the Trump administration's unprecedented steps to try to wrestle control over elections have led to new concerns about DOJ monitoring this year.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6588x4394+0+0/resize/6588x4394!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2Ffd%2Fa1fa97464ee0821043d09f47e117%2Fgettyimages-2283490165.jpg' alt='People walk by a polling place at Denver's Central Library on June 30, 2026.'/><p>The department has long deployed election monitors, but the Trump administration's unprecedented steps to try to wrestle control over elections have led to new concerns about DOJ monitoring this year.</p><p>(Image credit: Michael Ciaglo)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6009896' />