The U.S. Department of Justice stationed federal election monitors in Boston and Lowell on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of what it called the largest monitoring operation in its history.

Brookline is not on the DOJ's list of monitored jurisdictions. Polls in town are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the Brookline Town Clerk's office.

Approximately 1,000 monitors and observers fanned out across all 50 states, the first time the department has covered every state, according to a DOJ press release. The effort is coordinated by the Civil Rights Division. Monitors include personnel from multiple DOJ divisions, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.

The scale marks a sharp increase. Newsweek reported that 289 monitors were deployed for the 2022 midterms and 714 for the 2024 presidential election.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in the DOJ statement, "I am very proud we are deploying the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history, and pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner."

What monitors will do

Election monitors are checking whether polling places comply with federal voting rights laws, including the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and statutes that prohibit voter intimidation, according to the DOJ.

In an Oct. 28 court filing, the department said FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel would not serve as monitors, Newsweek reported. Monitors will not carry firearms or exercise law enforcement authority while on duty, according to court documents cited by Newsweek.

Massachusetts response

Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin told WBUR that monitors in Boston and Lowell will check whether polling stations provide required language services and are accessible to people with disabilities.

"It's nothing new. It has happened under every administration," Galvin said. But he acknowledged the broader context has changed.

"The actions of the Justice Department … in many cases seem to be hostile to the rights of voters, and certainly to those of us in Massachusetts and other jurisdictions like us," Galvin told WBUR. "I mean, that's not imaginary."

Galvin said he remains confident working with the department to ensure smooth voting in both cities. According to his office, monitors have visited Boston and Lowell in past elections because both cities have specific multilingual ballot requirements, WBUR reported.

Pushback nationwide

The expanded operation has drawn criticism. Some voting rights groups, including the NAACP, say the deployment could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups, USA Today reported. The NAACP sued in October seeking records about the operation, according to Newsweek.

Election authorities in at least five states have restricted or challenged the federal monitors, Newsweek reported. Officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Washington County in Arkansas, and Hennepin and Ramsey counties in Minnesota said DOJ monitors cannot enter polling places without legal authorization or local permission.

The DOJ has said its personnel will follow state and local laws and will not interfere with voters or election officials.

Residents with questions about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election hotline at 1-800-253-3931.