The Department of Justice sent federal election monitors to Dallas County on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of the largest monitoring operation in the agency's history. Collin County, which serves Murphy and parts of Wylie and Sachse and has 90 polling locations, was not among the Texas counties selected.

About 1,000 monitors and observers fanned out across all 50 states for the first time, according to a DOJ news release. The effort dwarfs previous deployments. Newsweek reported that 289 monitors were deployed for the 2022 midterms and 714 for the 2024 presidential election.

In Texas, monitors are stationed in seven counties: Dallas, Bexar, Harris, Waller, Blanco, Bowie and Nueces. The DOJ release did not identify which polling locations within those counties monitors plan to observe. The DOJ list names eight Michigan jurisdictions and seven Texas counties.

The DOJ monitored elections in eight Texas counties in 2024, the Dallas Morning News reported, but monitors were not authorized to be inside polling places that year.

The Civil Rights Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, coordinated the operation. In the DOJ statement, Dhillon said the department was "pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner."

Monitors include personnel from the Civil Rights Division, U.S. attorneys' offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The DOJ's criminal section will watch for voter intimidation or suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion. Its disability rights section will check that voters with disabilities have equal access.

In an Oct. 28 court filing, the DOJ clarified that FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel would not serve as monitors, according to Newsweek. The department said monitors would not carry firearms or exercise law enforcement authority at polling places.

Concerns on both sides

The deployment drew criticism from voting-rights groups. The NAACP and other organizations said they believe the expanded federal presence could suppress turnout, particularly among minority voters, USA Today reported. USA Today reported that in states with closely contested Senate races, monitors were assigned to cities and counties with disproportionately high Black and Hispanic populations according to U.S. Census data.

Officials in at least five states restricted or challenged the federal operation, Newsweek reported. Authorities in Indiana, Kentucky, and parts of Minnesota and Arkansas said DOJ monitors could not enter polling places without legal authorization or local permission.

The DOJ maintained its personnel will follow state and local laws and will not interfere with voters or election officials.

Collin County turnout

Closer to home, Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux said the county had 795,752 registered voters eligible to cast ballots. After seven days of early voting from Oct. 19 through Oct. 25, the county logged 214,742 in-person check-ins.

"I think we are on pace for a possible 65% to 70% turnout for this election," Breaux said. Collin County turnout was 69.19% in November 2024 and 52.56% in November 2022.

Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected].