Bonta says he’ll counter DOJ election monitors with observers of his own

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office will deploy election observers alongside federal monitors, citing concerns that the federal presence could intimidate or discourage voters. He said California had used the same approach in the previous two elections; the Justice Department says its monitors observe election practices and investigate possible fraud after voting, rather than intervene at polling places.

The DOJ has sent 1,000 monitors nationwide, in its largest operation to date and the first covering all 50 states. In California, they are assigned to Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento and San Diego, and will also check polling-place accessibility for people with disabilities. State laws can limit monitors’ access, and no major confrontations had been publicly reported by Tuesday afternoon; the Supreme Court had also rejected the administration’s bid to segregate ballots cast by 20,000 voters it believes are noncitizens.