According to the Justice Department, roughly 1,000 monitors will be deployed nationwide. Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said the monitors will ensure citizens are voting and that their votes are not canceled out by individuals who “shouldn’t be voting.” While federal observers have traditionally helped ensure the right to vote, this year’s deployment marks a substantial escalation in federal presence at polling places.
Technical disruptions emerged early in the voting process in New York’s Westchester County. Voting machines at several polling sites failed to accept ballots due to an issue with the scanner, which the Westchester County Board of Elections attributed to the thickness of the ballots. Poll workers instructed voters to place their completed paper ballots in designated orange emergency bags, which will remain secure and monitored for later counting in accordance with election procedures.
National New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is also facing reelection, stated on social media that her office is in touch with state and local Boards of Elections to work on a solution. Republican candidate Mike Lawler, running for reelection in the Lower Hudson Valley, reported that every scanner in the county was not working but urged voters to stay in line. His Democratic challenger, Cait Conley, also urged residents to continue voting. The race in the 17th District has become one of the most expensive House races in the country this cycle.
In other developments, the Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from the Justice Department for an injunction requiring California to separate mail ballots from individuals allegedly not U.S. citizens. The Court issued a one-line, unsigned order denying the request after a divided federal appeals court had previously refused to order California election workers to set aside these ballots. There were no noted dissents in the Supreme Court’s decision.
President Trump wrapped up a monthlong series of campaign appearances with remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on Monday. He acknowledged that sitting presidents’ parties often lose in midterms but stated, “We gave this a very strong shot.” Trump warned that allowing opponents to win would mean letting “people who hate our country” gain power. An administration official confirmed that President Trump will monitor election night from the White House.
In Michigan, Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell said the endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers by Representative Haley Stevens is having the opposite effect intended. Dingell claimed the move is “galvanizing many communities,” noting that El-Sayed’s campaign raised more than $2.4 million on Sunday, the same day Stevens, his former primary rival, announced her support for Rogers. Dingell cited anger from community leaders regarding the manner of the endorsement.
Polling sites opened at 6 a.m. ET Tuesday in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia followed at 6:30 a.m. ET. In areas using ranked choice voting, voters can rank candidates in order of preference until one candidate receives a majority of the votes.
