BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced plans to monitor polling sites in California and New Jersey ahead of the Nov. 4 general election.
A sample ballot is pictured before early voting starts in California’s statewide special election, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Paula Ulichney-Munoz)
The initiative, led by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, aims to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal election laws.
In California, the monitored counties include Riverside, Fresno, Orange, Los Angeles, and Kern County.
Kern County Assistant Registrar of Voters Laura Cantu stated that having observers at polling sites is not unusual.
The Department of Justice seals is seen during a news conference at the DOJ office in Washington, May 16, 2023. Jason Demyers, 44, was a leader in a multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy, dealing “kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine” in and out of Detroit, Lansing and Kalamazoo between August 2022 and July 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Western District of Michigan. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
She tells me that to maintain transparency, her office ensures that anyone observing the polls will stay within designated areas and follow clear guidelines on what they can and cannot do.
However, the move has sparked debate. Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed concerns, suggesting the federal oversight might be an intimidation tactic.
“This administration has made no secret of its goal to undermine free and fair elections. Deploying these federal forces appears to be an intimidation tactic meant for one thing: suppress the vote,” a spokesperson for Newsom said.
Christian Romo, chair of the Kern County Democratic Party, echoed Newsom’s concerns, stating, “I wish they would look at us as an example instead of combating us with sending DOJ observers, which is just absurd, and it’s another tactic to make sure that they, you know, change the rules for them and for their favor.”
FILE – Governor of California Gavin Newsom speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Despite differing opinions, Kern County voters have multiple options for casting their ballots, including voting by mail, at a drop box, or in person.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 4, and mail ballots must be postmarked by then to be counted.