Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Today, the Department of Justice is monitoring polling sites in three Arizona counties 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.
“The Department of Justice today continues to monitor elections consistently and in a uniform fashion nationwide, ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice department’s Civil Rights Division. “Transparent election processes and election monitoring are critical tools for safeguarding our elections and ensuring public trust in the integrity of our elections. We appreciate Arizona’s cooperation in these important procedural safeguards.”
“Our democracy depends on free and fair elections,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona. “My office is pleased to be leading efforts to ensure election integrity for Arizona voters. Today’s monitoring effort is a critical piece of that.”
The Department is currently monitoring polls in Maricopa, Apache, and Pima counties with DOJ staff from the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section and Arizona’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This initiative is aimed at promoting transparency and an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors. Election officials in these three counties issued letters to DOJ personnel — giving them credentials to observe vote-casting procedures at various poll sites. Such communication ensures both election security and appropriate access to the franchise for all Americans.
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.