The U.S. Department of Justice deployed approximately 1,000 election monitors to polling locations in all 50 states on Tuesday, Nov. 3, marking the largest such effort in the department's history.

Three Tennessee counties are on the list: Davidson, Knox and Shelby. Williamson County, home to Brentwood and Nolensville, is not among them.

The DOJ announced the deployment covers 126 jurisdictions nationwide. The effort is coordinated by the department's Civil Rights Division and includes personnel from multiple DOJ divisions, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that election integrity has been one of the top priorities for the administration and the division.

The deployment is far larger than previous efforts. In the 2022 midterms, the DOJ sent 289 monitors to polling places, according to CBS News. The 2024 presidential election involved 714 monitors across 27 states and 86 jurisdictions. Tuesday's deployment is the first time the program has reached all 50 states.

What monitors check

Election monitors look for compliance with federal voting-rights laws, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, according to the DOJ. The department's Disability Rights Section also works to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to vote.

Monitors cannot investigate on the spot or stop anyone from voting, according to Reuters, as cited by Transparency Cascade. Some state and local laws allow election officials to keep federal monitors out of polling places.

Concerns from voting-rights groups

The deployment drew criticism. Some voting-rights groups, including the NAACP, said they believe the monitors could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups, USA Today reported.

In states with competitive Senate races, monitors were assigned to cities and counties with disproportionately high levels of Black and Hispanic residents, according to U.S. Census data cited by USA Today.

Chloe Akers, founder and CEO of Best of Tennessee Inc., told WKRN she urged voters not to be deterred. "I think it's really important for folks to understand not to be intimidated or dissuaded from showing up to the polls because there are individuals there who are monitoring or observing the process," Akers said.

Williamson County leads state in early turnout

While Williamson County is not on the DOJ's monitoring list, it led the state in early voter turnout. About 38% of registered voters there cast ballots early, WSMV reported.

Statewide, early voting surged more than 45% compared to the same period in 2022, according to the Tennessee Secretary of State's Office. By day 14 of early voting, Tennessee reported nearly 1.3 million votes, up from 882,310 at the same point four years ago.

Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting-rights laws can call the DOJ's election-issues hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected].