California to Deploy Observers in Five Counties to Monitor Federal Election Watchers

California is set to dispatch its own state observers to polling locations in five counties, a direct response to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to deploy federal election monitors in the same areas. This move escalates a growing dispute between state and federal authorities regarding election oversight, particularly in an off-year election focused on a state redistricting initiative.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state's plan, stating that California will deploy observers to Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside, and Fresno counties. "They’re not going to be allowed to interfere in ways that the law prohibits," Bonta told reporters during a virtual news conference, expressing concerns about the federal presence. The DOJ's decision to send monitors followed a request from California GOP Chair Corrin Rankin, who cited "reports of irregularities" in these counties.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the federal monitoring on Friday, asserting that the DOJ aims to uphold "the highest standards of election integrity" and ensure "transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law." However, California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom, have strongly criticized the federal intervention. Newsom described the DOJ's deployment as "voter intimidation" and "voter suppression, period. Full stop."

The controversy centers on the nature of the upcoming election, which primarily features Proposition 50, a state-specific redistricting ballot measure. California officials argue that the absence of federal contests on the ballot makes the DOJ's involvement an overreach and a potential attempt to cast doubt on state-run elections. Bonta suggested that former President Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud are "laying the groundwork" for future challenges, stating, "All indications, all arrows show that this is a tee up for something more dangerous in the 2026 midterms — and maybe beyond."

While federal election monitors have historically been deployed to protect voting rights, particularly for minority groups, critics suggest the current administration is weaponizing this authority. Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and was asked by the California GOP to send the monitors, dismissed Newsom's concerns, posting on X, "The @TheJusticeDept under Democrat administrations has sent in federal election observers for decades, and not once did we hear that this was voter intimidation from states such as California."