Arizona Among Six States To Receive DOJ Election Monitors Ahead Of Primary

Arizona will be among six states where the U.S. Department of Justice plans to deploy election monitors during the 2026 primary season, according to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.

Dhillon said in an interview on The Joe Pags Show that the DOJ will monitor at least 15 jurisdictions in Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia during upcoming primary elections. In Arizona, she identified Maricopa, Apache, and Pima counties as jurisdictions where federal election monitors will be deployed.

“So first of all, this is for the upcoming primary elections this month and next month,” Dhillon said. “We have some funds that we use for this purpose, and so the Department of Justice, like it has in Republican and Democratic administrations in the past, is sending election monitors to places where there have been problems with the integrity of elections.”

In past administrations, Republican and Democrat, @theJusticeDept monitored elections to protect election integrity. This @CivilRights Division is sending monitors to 15 jurisdictions to ensure voter confidence in the upcoming primary elections! pic.twitter.com/CEQ1lSYXYK

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) July 8, 2026

Dhillon said the DOJ has sent monitors in prior administrations where poll workers made mistakes, used the wrong poll books, denied voters access to the polls, or failed to comply with language-access requirements.

“In 2024, we monitored 27 primary elections,” Dhillon said. “In 2022, under the prior administration, the department monitored nine primary elections. In this primary season, we’re monitoring 15 jurisdictions at least in six states, and they include Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia.”

We @TheJusticeDept 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 & Democrat administrations for decades.
We enforce the law equally. Stay tuned for more! pic.twitter.com/OjSkct9LDU

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) July 7, 2026

Dhillon listed several jurisdictions expected to receive monitors, including Boston; Maricopa County; Fairfax County; Detroit; Ramsey County; Prince William County; Lansing; East Lansing; Hennepin County, Minnesota; New Bedford and Nashua, Massachusetts; Manchester; and Apache and Pima counties in Arizona.

“I’ve been a volunteer and a professional election lawyer for years and prior cycles, and some of these jurisdictions are jurisdictions where, you know, I have personal knowledge of there being problems in the past,” Dhillon said. “And so I think it should be a welcome sign for voters in all jurisdictions that we have an eye on things.”

Dhillon said private citizens and political parties should also monitor election procedures.

“The more eyes on elections, in my opinion, the better, because then people will be confident in the outcome of those elections, and we all want that as Americans,” Dhillon said.

The Arizona primary election is scheduled for July 21, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

As noted by Dhillon, the DOJ has monitored Arizona elections in prior cycles. In 2024, under the Biden administration, the department announced that it would monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 86 jurisdictions across 27 states for the Nov. 5 general election, including Apache, Maricopa, Pima, and Yuma counties in Arizona. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona separately announced that DOJ personnel would monitor those four Arizona counties for compliance with federal voting rights laws.

In 2022, the DOJ announced that its Civil Rights Division would monitor 64 jurisdictions across 24 states for the general election. Arizona outlets reported at the time that monitors were deployed to Maricopa, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, and Yavapai counties.

Dhillon’s announcement drew criticism from Democratic election attorney Marc Elias and his voting-rights organization, Democracy Docket, which characterized the monitoring program as part of an “intense pressure campaign” by the Trump administration against state election officials. Democracy Docket reported that monitors would be sent to jurisdictions in Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia.

Dhillon responded Wednesday in a post from her official DOJ account, writing, “Recent @CivilRights primary election monitoring: Biden 2022 — 9 jurisdictions. Biden 2024 — 27 jurisdictions. Trump 2026 — 15 jurisdictions. Number of Marc Elias posts whining about @TheJusticeDept doing routine work to enforce federal law under Biden: 0.”

Recent @CivilRights primary election monitoring:

Biden 2022 — 9 jurisdictions
Biden 2024 — 27 jurisdictions
Trump 2026 — 15 jurisdictions

Number of Marc Elias posts whining about @TheJusticeDept doing routine work to enforce federal law under Biden: 0 https://t.co/CcYXEa1okU

— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) July 8, 2026

The post was directed at Elias, the founder of Democracy Docket and firm chair of Elias Law Group, whose organization has repeatedly criticized the Trump DOJ’s election-related actions.

The monitoring plan comes as the DOJ has separately sent letters to election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia warning that officials could face criminal liability if they knowingly retain noncitizens on voter rolls or facilitate noncitizens voting in federal elections. Reuters reported that the letters were sent by Dhillon and cited several federal laws dealing with election administration and noncitizen voting.

Arizona’s Democrat Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said Tuesday that his office received the DOJ letter and accused the department of threatening criminal prosecution of election officials responsible for voter registration if noncitizens are registered to vote in their jurisdictions.

“Arizona election officials have always worked to ensure that only eligible citizens are registered to vote, and we will continue following Arizona law—not directions that come from political rhetoric or intimidation,” Fontes said in a statement.

Fontes’ office said Arizona law requires election officials to verify voter eligibility, including citizenship information, using multiple state and federal databases where authorized by law. The office also said the DOJ letter “does not change Arizona law or the legal responsibilities of state and county election officials.”

Dhillon said the DOJ’s monitoring effort is intended to promote confidence in election outcomes and ensure compliance with federal law, while critics have argued the department’s broader election push is politically motivated.