DOJ monitoring select polls in Minnesota today

By Easton Martin | August 11, 2026

Federal authorities are monitoring polling locations across two major Minnesota counties during today’s primary election as part of an ongoing nationwide effort to oversee compliance with federal civil rights and voting laws.​

Approximately 20 monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota are stationed at polling sites in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Federal officials say the initiative protects voting rights, maintains ballot security, and fosters open communication between poll observers and federal representatives.​

Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, calls Minnesota the latest stop in a broader effort to guarantee free and fair elections, stressing the department’s commitment to non-discriminatory monitoring throughout both the primary and general election cycles.​U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen for the District of Minnesota notes that federal oversight helps reinforce public confidence in the electoral system, adding that local federal prosecutors are working directly with the Civil Rights Division on the ground.​

Today’s monitoring in Minnesota follows similar deployments during the 2020, 2022, and 2024 federal election cycles. Across the current primary season, federal officials have already assigned more than 50 monitors across seven counties nationwide.​

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces a wide range of federal statutes during the vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and various Civil Rights Acts.​Federal personnel are accepting public inquiries and complaints regarding voting rights violations throughout the day and leading up to the general election on November 3.