DOJ Deploys Election Monitors to 12 U.S. Jurisdictions Ahead of 2026 Primaries

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced it will send federal election monitors to 12 jurisdictions in eight states – Arizona (Maricopa, Pima, Apache counties), Massachusetts (Boston, New Bedford), Michigan (Detroit, Lansing, East Lansing), Minnesota (Hennepin, Ramsey counties), New Hampshire (Manchester, Nashua) and Virginia (Fairfax and Prince William counties) – as the 2026 primary elections approach. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the effort is “nonpartisan” and intended to protect the integrity of federal elections by ensuring voter‑roll accuracy. The division has previously sued 30 states and the District of Columbia for failing to remove deceased or non‑citizen voters, finding hundreds to thousands of improper registrations.

In a related development, a federal judge in Georgia blocked a Department of Justice subpoena seeking personal contact information of all 2020 election workers, ruling the request “staggering and completely untethered” and noting the statute of limitations had expired. A UBS report meanwhile showed that more than 440,000 Americans became millionaires last year, while median household wealth fell about 20 % after adjusting for inflation, underscoring a widening wealth gap.