The Justice Department released the list of cities and counties where it will be sending 1,000 election monitors for the midterm elections Nov. 3, a move that has sparked concerns among voting-rights groups and election officials that it could suppress turnout.
The department called it the “largest monitoring effort in history” in all 50 states.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that "election intregrity has been one of the top priorities" for the administration.
Some voting rights groups, including the NAACP, say they believe the deployment of monitors could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups.
Josh Zygielbaum, the Adams County clerk and recorder
in Colorado, where the department will be sending monitors, bristled at the notion anyone would cheat in the election.
"We've never had any complaints,” he said. “We've never had any charges filed. We've never been under investigation.”
Trump promised $1 million rewards for anyone providing information leading to "the arrest and conviction" of people committing voter fraud in a social media post Oct. 26.
The Justice Department is asking anyone who has a question or complaint about election issues to call 800-253-3931 or email VEMW@usdoj.gov.
Among the states with the most competitive Senate races, the observers will be in:
Alaska in Anchorage, Dillingham and Kusilvak.
Georgia in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Chatham and Bibb counties.
Iowa in Linn and Polk counties.
Kansas in Johnson, Wyandotte and Sedgwick counties.
Maine in Lewiston, Portland and South Portland.
Michigan in Lansing, East Lansing, Grand Rapids, Flint, Detroit, Hamtramck, Warren and Dearborn.
Ohio in Cuyahoga, Franklin and Medina counties.
South Carolina in Charleston.
Texas in Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Waller, Blanco, Bowie and Nueces counties.
Contributing: Sarah D. Wire and Trevor Hughes
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justice Department sends 1,000 election monitors across 50 states
