Justice Department Announces Monitoring of Polling Sites in Four Michigan Cities

Today, the Department of Justice is monitoring polling sites in four Michigan cities for the state’s primary election to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law. The Department, through the Civil Rights Division, enforces federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all eligible citizens to access the ballot. The Department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities across the country. “Our primary monitoring efforts continue today as we seek to ensure free and fair elections nationwide,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice is devoting extensive resources to ensure uniform and nondiscriminatory monitoring. We appreciate the cooperation of these jurisdictions in promoting trust and transparency.” “Transparency promotes both trust and better behavior in election administration,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey for the Western District of Michigan. “Our office is always going to be ready to lead in promoting free and fair elections.” The Department is currently monitoring polls in Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing, and East Lansing with DOJ staff from the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section and Michigan’s U.S. Attorney’s Offices for both the Western and Eastern districts. This initiative is aimed at promoting transparency and an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors. The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces various federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Civil Rights Acts. From now and up to Election Day on Nov. 3, 2026, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available to receive questions and complaints from the public related to possible violations of federal voting rights laws. If you would like to request election monitoring in a particular jurisdiction, please contact the Voting Section at VEM@usdoj.gov, and the Civil Rights Division will determine whether monitoring is warranted.