The U.S. Department of Justice plans to monitor polling sites in five California counties — including Los Angeles and Orange — during the Nov. 4 election in which voters will decide whether to approve a temporary statewide redistricting aimed at adding more Democrat representation in Congress.
Monitors will also be stationed in Riverside, Fresno and Kern counties. The DOJ will also monitor polling places in Passaic County, New Jersey.
“Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve.”
DOJ officials said the monitoring effort is designed “to ensure transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal law.”
The announcement came days after the California Republican Party requested that polling places be monitored in select counties due to “reports of irregularities” in recent elections.
“Our democracy depends on free and fair elections,” Acting U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles Bill Essayli said in a statement. “We will work tirelessly to uphold and protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Nov. 4 election will decide the politically charged Proposition 50, which would temporarily redraw California’s congressional district maps in hopes of increasing Democrat representation. The proposal, spearheaded by Gov. Gavin Newsom, was launched in an effort to counter redistricting efforts in Texas that added five more Republican-leaning districts.