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Trump administration sends election monitors to NYC, NJ
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Nov 3, 2026 at 12:06 p.m. ET
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TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Nov 3, 2026 at 12:06 p.m. ET
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The United States Department of Justice said Tuesday it’s sending election monitors to polling sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York, and three counties in New Jersey.
It’s the first time the DOJ is sending election monitors to all 50 states, according to the federal agency. The Trump administration has previously said it planned to deploy about 1,000 monitors nationwide, but hadn’t announced specific locations.
The DOJ said election monitors would be in Manhattan and Brooklyn as well as Westchester, Albany and Erie counties in New York. In New Jersey, they’ll be monitoring polls at Middlesex, Bergen and Union counties. Portions of Union County are in the 7th Congressional District, where Republican Tom Kean Jr. is hoping to fend off a challenge from Rebecca Bennett. The race is considered among the most competitive in the country as Democrats try to take control of the House.
Local Democratic leaders, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, have issued statements in recent weeks, urging voters not to be intimidated by federal authorities near the polls and warning that election interference and voter intimidation are illegal.
James said in a statement last week that while it is normal for the DOJ to send election monitors to polling sites, they can't demand identification from voters, interfere with poll workers or engage in political activity near the polls. She said if poll workers encounter people identifying as DOJ monitors without advance notice, they should contact county election officials.
The DOJ said the monitors would include workers from its Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices and Office of Personnel Management observers.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said during last week’s installment of WNYC’s “Ask Governor Sherrill” call-in show that state officials have been working to ensure those running elections throughout the state know how to protect voters’ rights.
“We have been briefing all of the poll workers, all the municipalities and the counties to make sure that they understand all their rights and that they are alerting us,” she said. “If there are any concerns at their polling place, we will be in court very, very quickly to shut down any attempt to interfere with our elections.”
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Catalina Gonella
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