Michigan election officials prepare for Trump DOJ to monitor primary elections

As Michigan election officials get ready for voters to head to the polls Tuesday, they’re also preparing for federal election monitors sent by the Trump administration to keep watch over primary voting in three majority-Democratic municipalities. 

It’s not unusual for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to send election monitors to observe voting in federal elections, but targeting Democratic cities in a key battleground state raises serious concerns that President Donald Trump will directly interfere in this fall’s midterms. And local election chiefs say the Trump administration is already trying to undermine trust in the election by targeting the Great Lakes State with debunked claims of voter fraud.  

“Michigan’s elections are transparent, accurate, accessible, and secure,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) said in a statement last month. “And while the US Department of Justice continues to pursue baseless allegations to confuse voters about those facts, we welcome anyone who wants to – in compliance with the law – observe Michigan’s elections process.”

Early last month, the DOJ informed election chiefs in Detroit, Lansing, and East Lansing that it would send monitors for the primary election, citing unsubstantiated reports of voting issues in the 2024 election.

In nearly identical letters sent to each municipality, the DOJ accused local election chiefs of failing to comply with federal voting laws and said that some precincts were marred by long lines due to a lack of provisional ballots. The DOJ also requested voter registration records, election worker training materials, and other voting documents from each municipality. 

“The City will gladly provide documents and information in response to all lawful requests,” Lansing Mayor Andy Schor (D) and City Clerk Chris Swope (D) said in a statement in response to the DOJ’s July letter. “However, as Lansing voters and the observers of Lansing elections know, claims in the letter to Lansing about difficult or abnormal voting practices are simply false. There were no delays at polling locations, the qualified voter file is the list we use for all elections, and provisional ballots are always available as provided by law.”

Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey (D) similarly questioned the DOJ’s claims of voting errors in the last election.

“What makes me suspicious is that you say things that you can’t back up,” Winfrey said during a press conference last week. “We don’t have any proof that you were at any of our polling locations. When you say we ran out of provisional ballots, that lets me know you really don’t know because our provisionals are the regular ballots. It’s never happened.”

For decades, the DOJ has sent monitors to observe federal elections without controversy. But while federal election monitors are typically deployed to protect voters, election officials now worry that the Trump administration is sending them to intimidate voters and chill turnout. 

“While historically, election monitors have been an important part of protecting voters and ensuring the freedom to vote for communities whose access to the ballot box has been limited, the broader context of the Trump administration’s political agenda of election denial cannot be ignored,” Ashiya Brown, state director at All Voting is Local, said in a statement. “This latest threat of sending election monitors to three cities with large populations of Black voters and other communities of color is just the latest attempt in a long line of desperate actions to interfere in Michigan’s elections.”

In recent months, Michigan has become a frequent target of the GOP’s false claims of voter fraud and election issues. 

During President Donald Trump’s primetime tirade against the U.S. election system last month, he revived long-debunked claims about fraud in Detroit in the 2020 election — even ordering FBI Director Kash Patel to reopen an investigation into the city. And the anti-voting conspiracy group True the Vote is set to release a new film about Detroit that is said to be based on debunked claims of voter fraud lodged by anti-voting activist Ramon Jackson.

Though federal poll monitors may concern election officials, they have limited authority under the law. They aren’t allowed to interfere in the voting or counting process in any way. Still, election officials are trying to be ready for anything. 

In a statement, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) said that her office is prepared to take legal action if the DOJ’s monitors break protocol. 

“The law even provides parameters for federal and congressional poll monitors,” Nessel said. “We encourage everyone to participate and see for themselves how secure and fair our elections are – but make no mistake, my office stands ready to hold accountable those who attempt to unlawfully interfere with or intimidate Michigan election workers.”