Federal election monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice will be in Michigan for Tuesday’s primary election as part of a broader deployment across the country.
For the 2026 primary election season, the DOJ says it is sending federal election monitors to 15 jurisdictions across six states: Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Virginia.
The department says the jurisdictions were selected because of a history of election-related concerns.
Some voting advocates say the increased attention this year is being driven, in part, by misinformation surrounding the election process.
“The reason why this is getting so much attention this year is because there has been a lot of misinformation around the election process,” said Adam Ambrogi, chief external affairs officer for the League of Women Voters. “There have been a lot of inappropriate claims of fraud.”
Justice Department civil rights officials say election monitoring is a longstanding practice that has taken place under administrations from both major political parties.
“We have gotten some attacks from leaders over there, the attorney general, the governor—they don’t like the fact that we are doing this. But to be clear, both Republican and Democratic administrations have sent monitors to Michigan and these other jurisdictions in the past,” said Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, in a video she posted on X last month.
Local 4 has confirmed federal monitors will be stationed in Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing and East Lansing.
So, what do federal election monitors do?
Their role is to observe polling place procedures and ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws. They do not administer elections, handle ballots or interfere with voters.
Ambrogi said the presence of federal monitors should not be viewed as a sign that voters will face problems at the polls.
“It is something that is normal in the process, and the presence of those monitors by itself is not evidence of either voter intimidation or that anyone should have a challenge voting,” he said.
In Detroit, the NAACP says it will also have election observers in the field Tuesday.
“We are going to be monitoring the monitors. We have monitors that will be out there tomorrow. We have a team of lawyers because if there is some misbehavior or people getting in the way to stop you from voting or intimidate you, we are prepared to take people to court,” said the Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit NAACP.
If you have voting-related questions or need to report an issue, you can call the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). The Detroit NAACP also has a voter assistance hotline at 313-664-2424.
Polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
After Tuesday’s primary, the League of Women Voters and other community groups plan to host the Unite & Rise for Voting Rights Day of Action in Detroit as part of a nationwide effort to engage voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The event is scheduled for Aug. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University of Michigan Detroit Center at 3663 Woodward Avenue.