Now
75°
Wed
81°
Thu
82°
Midterm elections are underway across the United States, with key races deciding the balance of power in Washington.
by Abigail Quinn
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The Department of Justice announced Tuesday morning that for the first time ever, they will be monitoring elections in all 50 states, with Charleston being the only monitored jurisdiction in South Carolina.
According to the DOJ, one of their most important missions is maintaining election integrity, supporting free and fair elections, and protecting the right to vote for U.S. citizens across the United States. They state that in order to ensure that elections remain fair, election monitors have been sent to specific locations nation wide.
Though this is not a new practice, and has been enacted across all administrations since the Voting Rights Act in 1965, it is however the first time that monitors have been sent to locations in all of the 50 states. Approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers have been deployed and include personnel from the Civil Rights Division, other DOJ divisions, U.S. Attorney’s Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.
“Election integrity has been one of the top priorities for this Administration and this Division,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice. “I am very proud we are deploying the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history, and pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.”
READ MORE | South Carolina voters set to decide Senate, Governor and statewide races on Election Day
While working at their specified locations, the DOJ states that election monitors will be checking for compliance with the federal voting rights statutes including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and the Civil Rights Acts.
Throughout the time the monitors are placed at polling locations, they will be able to receive questions and complaints from the public related to federal voting rights laws. Those questions can also be directed toward the election issues hotline at 1-800-253-3931, email at VEM@usdoj.gov, or through their website at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report.
Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the Division’s toll-free ADA information hotline at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through our ADA website at www.ada.gov.
Complaints related to any disruptions at a polling place should always be reported to local election officials (including officials based in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted.
Charleston County was previously subject to election monitoring during the special primary GOP runoff, which was held on Aug. 25.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
About the Author
