DOJ sends 'election monitors' to Arizona. It suggests there have been security issues

The U.S. Department of Justice is sending “elections monitors” to Arizona and five other states.

“We’re sending the monitors into cities and counties where there may have been some problems in the recent elections so this is something that DOJ does routinely,” DOJ Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a video.

It’s true this is not the first time the DOJ has sent election monitors to various states. In 2024, under the Biden administration, the DOJ sent monitors to four Arizona counties.

But in 2024, the DOJ didn’t say there may have been issues of fraud. The department said then that the monitors would “monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws.”

Dhillon said the monitors will increase voter confidence and prevent election issues, ensuring that polling places are operating correctly.

In Arizona, that includes Maricopa, Apache and Pima counties, Dhillon said Thursday.

The other states are Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Virginia. All the states have upcoming primary elections this summer.

Like Arizona, Michigan and New Hampshire can be considered purple states. But the other four are blue.

“Some of these jurisdictions are jurisdictions where you know I’ve got personal knowledge of there being problems in the past,” she said.

Dhillon also said, as we get closer to the general election, “there will be an even more expanded program for vote monitors.”

Dhillon has supported President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

In Arizona, those allegations led to an audit of Maricopa County’s 2020 election results, which ultimately found that President Biden won Arizona by slightly more than originally thought.

“We’ve been focused on what potential federal interference there will be,” Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said Thursday. “We're going to be watching this very closely and we’re working closely with election officials across the state to ensure that our elections are secure.”

The announcement follows Dhillon’s pledge to prosecute local election officials in any state if her department finds noncitizens on voter rolls.

Last year, the DOJ also demanded Arizona hand over voter information from all 50 states, which Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes refused to do. A federal judge sided with him, but the DOJ is appealing the decision.