The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sent approximately 1,000 election monitors to all 50 states Tuesday, Nov. 3. San Bernardino County was not among the four California counties where monitors were assigned.
The department called it the largest monitoring effort in its history and the first time monitors have been deployed to every state, according to a department press release. In California, monitors went to Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento and San Diego counties.
The Civil Rights Division coordinated the effort. Monitors include division personnel, staff from other DOJ components, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that election integrity has been one of the top priorities for the administration. She said the department is pursuing transparency for elections "in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner."
The deployment drew pushback. Some voting rights groups, including the NAACP, said they believe the monitors could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups, USA Today reported.
San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Joani Finwall had urged residents ahead of the election to return ballots early and verify their signatures. The county expected 600,000 voters to participate in the Nov. 3 general election.
Voters with questions about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected].
