US Justice Department to monitor elections in all 50 states for 1st time

The US Department of Justice will monitor voting across all 50 states for the first time in history during the midterm elections, the agency announced Tuesday.

"Election integrity has been one of the top priorities for this administration and this division," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said, adding that the agency is deploying the "largest" operation to pursue transparency "in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner."

The department said approximately 1,000 monitors and observers will be active on election day to check compliance with federal voting rights statutes. The effort will draw personnel from the Civil Rights Division, US attorneys' offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.

Monitors will maintain regular contact with state and local election officials to enforce the Voting Rights Act, disability access protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act and criminal statutes prohibiting voter intimidation or suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion. The department has deployed election monitors under the Voting Rights Act since 1965.

The nationwide deployment comes as American voters decide all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, 35 US Senate seats and 36 governorships. Republicans currently control both congressional chambers, while Democrats seek to capture majorities to curb the legislative agenda of US President Donald Trump.