The U.S. Department of Justice plans to station election monitors at polling places in Manchester and Nashua on Sept. 8, the day of New Hampshire’s state primary, part of a federal deployment that covers 15 jurisdictions in six states.
What the monitors are tasked to do
The monitors come from the DOJ’s civil rights division, now led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. The office framed the visits as routine oversight intended to ensure polling places are accessible and operating during correct hours.
“This is an important goal that increases voter confidence,” Dhillon said, “and it’s also important to make sure that our voting is accurate so that every citizen who votes has their vote counted equally without having their vote canceled out by somebody who shouldn’t be voting.”
Federal election monitoring is not unprecedented; administrations of both parties have sent observers in the past to check compliance with federal voting-rights laws. Still, the announcement arrives amid heightened attention to voting procedures nationwide and recent disputes in New Hampshire over access to confidential voter files.
State response and local context
New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said in a brief statement that federal representatives, like any other observers, are welcome to observe elections. His office confirmed that Manchester and Nashua received formal letters from the Department of Justice informing them of the monitoring plans.
“Everyone is welcome to observe our elections, including representatives of the federal government,” Scanlan said in a statement.
Significantly, the announcement followed a recent federal-court ruling that rejected the administration’s request for New Hampshire’s confidential voter lists — a dispute that underscored tensions between state election privacy protections and federal oversight efforts. State election officials around the country also received letters warning they could face criminal charges if non-U.S. citizens were allowed to vote, a warning referenced by the DOJ in outreach to states.
Where else monitors will go
The DOJ named jurisdictions in six states for the same monitoring effort. Besides New Hampshire, the list includes jurisdictions in Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Virginia. All of those states except New Hampshire have Democratic governors.
| State | Noted Jurisdictions |
|---|---|
| New Hampshire | Manchester, Nashua |
| Arizona | (jurisdictions named by DOJ) |
| Michigan | (jurisdictions named by DOJ) |
| Massachusetts | (jurisdictions named by DOJ) |
| Minnesota | (jurisdictions named by DOJ) |
| Virginia | (jurisdictions named by DOJ) |
- When: Sept. 8, New Hampshire state primary.
- Where: Polling places in Manchester and Nashua (and selected jurisdictions in five other states).
- Why: DOJ says the aim is nonpartisan monitoring for accessibility and compliance with voting laws.
For voters and poll workers in Manchester and Nashua, the presence of federal monitors could mean added scrutiny of polling-place practices on primary day. Local election officials will be responsible for facilitating observation while maintaining normal operations and protecting voter privacy as required by state law.
The deployment raises practical questions for precinct officials about how monitors will be accredited, where they will be permitted to stand while observing, and how their activities will be coordinated with state and municipal election staff. Secretary Scanlan’s office has not released detailed guidance on how the observers will be integrated into local polling operations beyond confirming the notifications had been sent.
As the Sept. 8 primary approaches, election administrators, civic groups and voters in New Hampshire will be watching how the federal monitoring plays out on the ground — and whether it changes voter experience or confidence in the process.
