The Justice Department is monitoring polling sites in Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing, and East Lansing today for Michigan’s primary election. Officials say the move is meant to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.
Staff from the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, along with U.S. Attorney’s Offices for both the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, are on the ground. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon called it part of ongoing efforts “to ensure free and fair elections nationwide,” adding that the department is “devoting extensive resources to ensure uniform and nondiscriminatory monitoring.”
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey for the Western District of Michigan framed it as promoting trust: “Transparency promotes both trust and better behavior in election administration.” The department says the initiative aims at an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors.
Anyone wanting monitoring in other jurisdictions can email VEM@usdoj.gov, and the division will decide if it’s warranted.
