Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Trump DOJ sending monitors to NJ county after local ballot dispute
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 25, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 25, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The U.S. Department of Justice says it will monitor polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, after Republicans raised concerns that local elections officials were not providing enough security for mail-in ballots.
The DOJ announced Friday that staff from its Civil Rights Division will be deployed to the North Jersey county for the Nov. 4 election. Passaic has a dense immigrant population and was reliably Democratic until President Donald Trump won the county by 3 points last year. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the department's goal is to uphold “the highest standards of election integrity” and to ensure a fair and transparent process.
New Jersey Republicans pushed to add cameras and sign-in logs for mail-in ballot storage areas — measures it says are already in use in nearby counties like Bergen and Essex. Passaic officials rebuffed the request. In a letter to the Justice Department, a GOP lawyer said federal monitors were necessary to “ensure the integrity of the voting process.”
Republican Jack Ciattarelli, an ally of former President Donald Trump, is in a tight race for governor against Democrat Mikie Sherrill, according to polls.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin issued a statement criticizing the federal deployment, calling it “highly inappropriate” and saying the DOJ “has not even attempted to identify a legitimate basis for its actions.”
The Passaic elections board did not immediately provide comment Saturday. Gothamist reported last week that Democrats were outperforming Republicans on mail-in ballots by nearly 3 to 1.
The DOJ said it will also send monitoring teams to several counties in Southern and Central California, including Los Angeles County, following similar requests from Republican officials there.
The department said staff would be available to field questions and complaints from the public about potential voting rights violations through Election Day.
Tagged
Politics
new jersey
Ryan Kost
Ryan Kost is a reporter on the day-of news desk, where he covers breaking news and writes enterprise stories about jails, courts, prosecutors and government accountability. His work focuses on the public institutions that shape life in New York. Before joining the newsroom, he lead a multi-part investigation with Columbia Journalism Investigations and New York Focus into how New York prosecutors handle wrongful conviction claims. He's also been a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle, The Associated Press and The Oregonian. Got a tip? Signal: ryankost.20
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .