U.S. Department of Justice election monitors are expected at polling places in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and in four Virginia localities on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, according to state officials and local reports. The Justice Department has said about 1,000 monitors will be at polling places in counties across the country and that it will not release its full list until Election Day.
What Maryland Officials Say
In Maryland, the Justice Department is sending plain-clothed election monitors to Prince George’s County polling places, according to The Daily Record. The Maryland State Board of Elections said the monitors’ purpose is to observe compliance with the minority-language provisions of the Voting Rights Act, as WMAR-2 reported. The State Board said federal compliance monitors have been sent to Maryland in previous election cycles and must follow Maryland law inside polling places.
Jared DeMarinis, Maryland’s administrator of elections, said in a statement that the State Board and every local board take the responsibility of administering Maryland’s elections very seriously.
What Virginia Officials Say
In Virginia, the Justice Department is sending monitors to Virginia Beach, Charlottesville, Fairfax County and Prince William County, according to WWBT. Virginia Commissioner of Elections Steven Koski said the department notified several localities. He said federal monitors were also in Virginia for the August primaries and that he was unaware of any major problems, although some monitors had to be reminded of the rules against interfering with the process.
What Monitors Can and Cannot Do
Koski said monitors may see and hear what happens at the polls but do not have the right to ask questions or demand information, and they may not roam freely around a polling place. In Prince George’s County, The Daily Record reported, monitors will be stationed in designated observation areas and are prohibited from communicating with or intimidating voters inside polling places.
A Justice Department spokesperson said monitors observe and report concerns to the department, which will review them after Election Day. A department official said no FBI or ICE agents would serve as federal election monitors, according to NBC Washington.
National Context and Concerns
The Justice Department announced it will have a presence in all 50 states, a larger program than in 2022, when it sent monitors to 64 jurisdictions in 24 states, according to Stateline. Stateline also reported that election experts have noted 1,000 monitors is far fewer than the roughly 95,000 polling places in a recent presidential election.
The NAACP sued the Justice Department in October for records about the monitoring program. A judge denied an emergency request to order immediate production, and the lawsuit remains pending, Stateline reported. In an Aug. 3 letter, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia joined other Democratic senators in asking the department to ensure that monitors do not interfere with voting or target jurisdictions in a partisan way, according to Warner’s office.
What’s Next
Maryland polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Virginia polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters in line by closing time may vote. The Justice Department will not release the full list of monitor locations until Election Day, a spokesperson said. Voters with concerns should contact their local board of elections.
