WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 -- Sen. Alex Padilla issued the following press release:
With less than 100 days until the midterm elections and amid ongoing threats from President Trump to nationalize, militarize, and interfere with election administration, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and Mark Warner (D-Va.), Vice Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led a group of colleagues in pressing the Department of Justice (DOJ) on their compliance with federal voting laws. The letter also cautions against the misuse of any federal election monitors to target jurisdictions in a partisan manner or interfere with voting or state and local election officials' administration of the voting process.
In a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon, the Senators expressed concern over election monitors that are being disproportionately assigned to jurisdictions in states led by Democrats. This letter follows DOJ's July 7, 2026, announcement that it would deploy election monitors to 15 jurisdictions across Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia during the 2026 primary election season, with plans to expand the program for the general election. The DOJ characterized this effort as "routine" and "nonpartisan," but nearly all of the chosen states have Democratic governors and chief election officials, and the Senators warn the deployment from Trump's DOJ could result in voter intimidation or election interference.
"Federal election monitors have been present at election sites on Election Day for decades and play a critical role in assessing if state and local elections are administered in compliance with federal civil and voting rights laws, including the laws that guarantee equal access to the polls, language assistance, and disability accommodations," wrote the Senators. "The election monitors program has been implemented under Democratic and Republican administrations alike and has largely operated without incident or controversy. It is important that American voters trust that the U.S. Department of Justice's election monitors will focus only on their statutory ambit and will not target jurisdictions in a partisan manner; discourage voter participation or interfere with the voting process; or pressure, harass, or interfere with state and local election officials as they do their jobs."
The Senators also reminded DOJ that election monitors remain subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including laws prohibiting voter intimidation, interference with voting, threats or harassment of election workers, and political activity while serving in an official capacity. They emphasized that the Constitution clearly assigns states and territories the primary responsibility for administering elections, and that any federal monitoring is supplemental and must respect that constitutional framework.
The Senators requested a staff briefing and answers to a series of questions about the Department's election monitors program, including: the program's legal authority and objectives; the criteria used to select jurisdictions for monitoring; how election monitors are recruited, vetted, trained, and supervised; whether political appointees are eligible to serve as monitors; what safeguards are in place to prevent voter intimidation, partisan activity, or interference with election administration; and whether the Department has changed any policies or procedures governing the program since January 20, 2025.
"As demonstrated under both Democratic and Republican administrations, U.S. elections are safe, secure, and fair," the Senators concluded."The Department's election monitors program must not be used to undermine that fact. Election monitors must carry out their responsibilities in a manner that respects and upholds voters' rights, complies with the applicable legal requirements, and does not interfere with state and local election officials' administration of the voting process."
In addition to Padilla and Warner, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich).
Padilla has consistently advocated for protection against the Trump Administration's election interference efforts. Last month, Padilla and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) convened a Rules Committee Democrats and Senate Democrats' Election Protection Task Force spotlight forum (https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/watch-padilla-schumer-senate-democrats-convene-election-security-experts-to-respond-to-trump-2-0-chaos/) focused on state and local responses to combat efforts by the Trump Administration to undermine election administration in the upcoming midterm election. Padilla also joined Senate Democrats in introducing (https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-and-ossoff-introduce-federal-right-to-vote-act/) the Protect Our Polls Act to protect the integrity of American elections from federal interference by armed military or federal law enforcement. Padilla and his Senate colleagues also demanded answers (https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-warner-peters-demand-answers-on-election-security-preparations-ahead-of-2026-midterms/) from Trump Administration officials about their lack of election security preparation, insufficient coordination with Congress and election officials, and unsupported public claims about voting system vulnerabilities. Ahead of the Proposition 50 special election in November 2025, Sen. Padilla pressed (https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-schiff-demand-trump-administration-cancel-partisan-deployment-of-election-monitors-to-california/) DOJ to cancel its partisan plan to deploy DOJ political appointees to monitor California's state referendum election, a highly unusual move.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
