(The Center Square) – Federal election monitors for Fairfax and Prince William counties in Virginia’s Aug. 4 primaries were confirmed Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Justice Department told The Center Square the list of monitoring locations “could grow.” The department did not answer questions about why the two counties were selected and instead referred The Center Square to public remarks by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
In a video posted Tuesday of last week, Dhillon said the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will send election monitors to 15 jurisdictions across six states during the primary season. The states are Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Virginia.
“We are proud to safeguard every American’s right to vote, and we will continue routine, nonpartisan election monitoring that’s been standard under both Republican and Democrat administrations for decades,” Dhillon said.
Dhillon said the department’s goals are to increase voter confidence, ensure polling places comply with federal law, eliminate language barriers, protect access for voters with disabilities and help ensure every eligible voter can cast a ballot. She said the Civil Rights Division enforces the Voting Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act, the National Voter Registration Act and provisions of the Civil Rights Act.
Dhillon said the department monitored nine jurisdictions during the 2022 primary season and 27 jurisdictions during the 2024 election cycle. She said Justice Department expects to expand its election monitoring program ahead of the November general election.
In a statement, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Lamont Bagby said Virginia “has a long history of conducting secure, fair, and transparent elections” and that federal election monitors have long played a role in ensuring compliance with federal law. He added that the responsibility “should never be used to cast doubt on or undermine confidence in our electoral process.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from the Virginia Department of Elections.
