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Voting on Election Day? You may have noticed a large number of election monitors posted at polling locations around Fresno County<\/a>.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Justice sent federal monitors to polling sites<\/a> in five California counties, including Fresno County, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, The Fresno Bee previously reported.<\/p>\n Eligible California residents are voting whether to approve or reject Proposition 50, which seeks to redraw boundaries<\/a> for many of the states congressional districts.<\/p>\n Who are these monitors, and what are they doing at polling sites? Here\u2019s what to know:<\/p>\n Why are federal monitors at Fresno vote centers?<\/p>\n The U.S. Justice Department is monitoring polling sites at a total of in six counties in the United States<\/a> \u201cto ensure transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal law\u201d on Election Day, the federal agency said in an Oct. 24 news release.<\/p>\n Federal monitors were dispatched to Passaic County in New Jersey as well as five counties in California.<\/p>\n Those California counties area:<\/p>\n Kern CountyRiverside CountyFresno CountyOrange CountyLos Angeles County<\/p>\n Republican Party representatives previously requested election monitors in certain counties in California and New Jersey, \u201calleging election irregularities\u201d in \u201ctwo Democratic states with crucial off-year elections<\/a>,\u201d CNN reported.<\/p>\n In a statement, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the Trump administration\u2019s decision to post election monitors at polling sites an \u201cintimidation tactic\u201d<\/a> meant to suppress support for Prop 50.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a federal election. The US DOJ has no business or basis to interfere with this election. This is solely about whether California amends our state constitution,\u201d the statement read. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n What do election observers do?<\/p>\n The Department of Justice\u2019s Civil Rights Division uses election observers to \u201chelp assess compliance with federal voting rights laws<\/a>,\u201d the federal agency said in a statement published with the release.<\/p>\n Federal election monitors are attorneys who work for the Justice Department, either in the Civil Rights Division or in local U.S. attorneys\u2019 offices. They are not federal agents or law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n