DOJ will monitor polls in 24 states to ensure voting law compliance

The Department of Justice announced on Monday that it will monitor polls in select municipalities across 24 states during the 2022 midterm elections to ensure compliance with federal voting laws.

"Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Division has regularly monitored elections in the field in jurisdictions around the country to protect the rights of voters," a DOJ press release read. "The Civil Rights Division will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center. The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot."

Present at the polling places will be monitors from the DOJ's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, alongside monitors from the Office of Personnel Management in some locations.

Among the states in question are several battlegrounds, including, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The deployment of federal agents comes amid heightened concerns about election integrity in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which faced widespread accusations of voter fraud.

Republicans seeking to ensure election integrity have scored legal victories on election integrity in swing states such as Michigan that will affect the 2022 midterms.