Justice Department Deploys 1,000 Monitors to All 50 States for Midterms

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that it is deploying approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states. This deployment marks the first time the department has conducted a monitoring effort that reaches every state in the union.

The monitors will oversee compliance with federal voting rights laws. Their duties include checking for protections against voter intimidation and ensuring that voters with disabilities have proper access to the ballot.

Voters across the country are choosing candidates for all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 seats in the U.S. Senate. Hundreds of local races are also on the ballot. The outcome of these contests will determine which party holds control of Congress. That result will shape President Donald Trump’s ability to advance his legislative agenda during the next two years.

Nearly 60 million Americans cast ballots before Tuesday’s election day. This figure represents a portion of the roughly 250 million Americans eligible to vote, according to data from the Pew Research Center. These early votes were cast either through in-person early voting or by mail.

Analysts note that early voting totals alone do not reveal which party is gaining ground. Even in states that report party registration for voters, those affiliations do not always match the candidates supported by those individuals.

Once polls close, the counting process may extend beyond election night. Close contests and the time required to count outstanding ballots could leave the control of Congress unsettled until the final tallies are complete.