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Krishnamoorthi challenges DOJ plan to deploy 1K election monitors
He emphasized that federal personnel carry an inherent authority that can easily leave everyday voters feeling under government scrutiny simply for exercising their right to vote.
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Staff Reporter - Fri, 21, Aug 2026
- 00:56 EDT
- 18
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / X
Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi has sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche, raising concerns over the Trump administration’s plans to deploy up to 1,000 Department of Justice election monitors during the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, and cautioning that the massive federal presence risks intimidating voters.
The Illinois congressman, a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in the letter written Aug. 19 sought assurances that DOJ personnel will be used solely to protect Americans’ right to vote, not to intimidate voters, pressure election officials or promote unsupported claims about the integrity of American elections.
“If the administration repeatedly tells the public that certain voting systems, jurisdictions or categories of voters are vulnerable to fraud or foreign manipulation, and then sends federal personnel into those same communities on Election Day, the presence of those personnel can create an atmosphere of suspicion and intimidation,” he said.
The Trump Administration is preparing to deploy as many as 1,000 federal agents to polling places as Trump spreads baseless claims about election fraud.
— Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (@CongressmanRaja) August 20, 2026
I’m sounding the alarm over the risk of voter intimidation and suppression. Americans must be able to vote free from… pic.twitter.com/SS6WvN4uz9
He emphasized that federal personnel carry an inherent authority that can easily leave everyday voters feeling under government scrutiny simply for exercising their right to vote.
The proposed expansion, Krishnamoorthi said, marked a substantial shift from past election cycles.
He said that while federal officials monitored 86 jurisdictions across 27 states during the 2024 general election, the administration is now preparing to send as many as 1,000 election monitors.
He said concerns over political motivation were further heightened following the 2025 election cycle, when federal observers were sent to six counties in California and New Jersey following requests from state Republican parties.
Also Read: Krishnamoorthi gifts Cubs jersey to Pope Leo in Vatican
The planned deployments, Krishnamoorthi claimed, came as President Donald Trump continued to cast doubt on the integrity of American elections and the DOJ sued approximately 30 states seeking access to their unredacted voter rolls.
“Taken together, these actions create a troubling perception: the federal government is simultaneously seeking expansive access to Americans’ voter information, challenging state election systems, and preparing to place potentially 1,000 federal monitors in communities across the country,” he said.
“At the same time, the President is publicly asserting that American elections are vulnerable to fraud and foreign manipulation, including alleged interference by China,” he said.
To address these concerns, Krishnamoorthi set an Aug. 31, 2026, deadline for the Department of Justice to respond to detailed questions. His inquiry demands specifics on the final number of targeted jurisdictions, the exact criteria used to select monitor locations and whether partisan requests played any role in the decisions.
The lawmaker is also seeking explicit commitments that political affiliation and electoral competitiveness will not influence monitor placement. Furthermore, he asked for the specific guidelines given to federal monitors, requesting assurances that personnel will be strictly barred from photographing, recording or interacting with voters without explicit authorization under federal law.
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