Based on reporting by AP

Democratic parties, nonprofit watchdogs, Republican organizations and the U.S. Justice Department are each preparing large observer operations at polling places for the 2026 midterm Election Day, according to the Associated Press¹.

State Democratic parties have trained an estimated 10,000 volunteers and Common Cause about 16,000 more, with a broader Election Protection coalition of about 300 groups training additional volunteers, AP reported, citing group officials¹. The Justice Department said about 1,000 staff will observe voting in every state, its largest such effort, after deploying more than 100 monitors in the primaries¹. The Republican National Committee said it has placed election-integrity deputy state directors in 22 states and enlisted nearly 22,000 poll workers while recruiting poll watchers¹.

Democratic officials told AP they are responding to statements by President Donald Trump about possible ballot seizures and immigration agents at polls; White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Democrats were stoking fears by opposing voter-ID and other Republican-backed rules¹. Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon said on CBS's 60 Minutes there was no plan to send ICE agents to polling places, and administration and military officials said they have no plans to deploy immigration agents or troops there, AP reported¹. Justice Department spokesperson Kiersten Pels said monitors will not interfere with voting and will not be armed¹.

Some local officials are preparing for extra attention: Lansing, Michigan, clerk Chris Swope said he contacted law enforcement and counsel in case monitors break election law, while expecting them to follow the rules¹. Wyoming's Republican governor and a county clerk described primary-season Justice Department monitors as aggressive or seeking to interview voters, which the department disputed¹. Officials involved in the Democratic-aligned effort told AP that overlapping, legally uncoordinated groups could cause confusion outside some precincts¹.