Montgomery County does not appear on the Department of Justice's list of jurisdictions where federal election monitors are stationed on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Neighboring Prince George's County is the only Maryland jurisdiction on the list. Across the Potomac, monitors are posted in Fairfax County, Prince William County, Charlottesville and Virginia Beach, according to the DOJ's announcement.
The department said it deployed approximately 1,000 monitors and observers to all 50 states for the first time, coordinated by its Civil Rights Division. Personnel include staff from the division, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.
The number is more than double previous midterm deployments.
"There are going to be more than twice as many as there were in the last midterm," Todd Eberly, a professor of politics and public policy at St. Mary's College of Maryland, told WBAL-TV.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that election integrity has been a top priority for the administration and the division.
Maryland officials prepared in advance
The Maryland State Board of Elections received notice that DOJ observers would be stationed at some polling places in Prince George's County, WBAL-TV reported. The state elections board and Prince George's County officials were scheduled to meet with the DOJ before Election Day to discuss the monitoring efforts.
Maryland Elections Administrator Jared DeMarinis told WBAL-TV that monitors have been deployed before and are limited in what they can do. "They are there just to observe and take notes," he said, adding they cannot interfere with the voting process in any way.
He added that state election officials have been conducting exercises to ensure there is no voter intimidation, threats or harassment on Election Day.
Voting rights groups raise concerns
The DOJ has sent election monitors since the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, but this marks the first time monitors have been deployed to all 50 states. Voting rights groups and some local election officials have questioned the scope of the deployment.
USA Today reported that groups including the NAACP say they believe the deployment could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups. USA Today also reported that in states with some of the hardest-fought Senate contests, monitors were assigned to cities and counties with disproportionately high levels of Black and Hispanic residents according to the U.S. Census.
Axios reported the effort comes after courts repeatedly rejected DOJ efforts to force states to restrict voting for alleged noncitizens.
Monitors are checking compliance with federal voting rights statutes, including the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and laws prohibiting voter intimidation based on race, color, national origin or religion. Federal law prohibits armed federal law enforcement officers from being at or near polling places unless needed to repel foreign enemies, according to WBAL-TV.
Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election issues hotline at 1-800-253-3931.
A DOJ spokesperson told the Atlantic that monitors would not interfere with voting and would follow local rules regarding access to polling sites, Axios reported. In Prince William County, officials said federal monitors would not be allowed inside polling places. The DOJ said it would still send monitors to observe from outside, the Prince William Times reported, according to Axios.
