Thousands of observers to descend on polling places on Election Day

Apprehensions that President Donald Trump could utilize the federal government's vast resources to disrupt a midterm election capable of crippling his final two years in office have driven Democrats and non-partisan watchdogs to organize a massive presence at polling places on Election Day.They will not stand alone. The extensive left-leaning election protection initiative, which plans to station tens of thousands of monitors, will coincide with the Justice Department's largest-ever monitoring operation alongside additional observers from conservative-aligned groups. The resulting scene could be unlike anything seen at polling stations in modern history.Organizers within Democratic and non-profit circles are currently training volunteers to observe voting sites and flag worrisome behavior. This coalition unites established advocacy groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Common Cause, with a surge of volunteers mobilized by state Democratic parties, congressional leadership, national activists, and democracy defense organizations.To counter online misinformation and artificial intelligence deepfakes, the Democratic National Committee's Association of State Democratic Committees created a novel cybersecurity unit featuring former CIA and FBI personnel, according to DNC vice chair Jane Kleeb.Concurrently, Democratic mayors, attorneys general, and secretaries of state are hosting tabletop exercises simulating potential crisis scenarios, such as the seizure of ballots and voting equipment or a sudden influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at voting venues.There are so many organizations working to protect the voting process including many that cannot legally coordinate with each other (AP Photo/Haven Daley)On Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders have assembled a legal team comparable in scope to that of a presidential campaign."We’ve never done this before," Kleeb said regarding the extensive mobilization. But "we’ve never had to deal with the president of the United States saying that he may seize ballots, put ICE agents outside polling locations and other kinds of very clear direct threats to the voting process."Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has already brought legal actions in Alaska and California that could potentially influence how votes are certified or counted.Even as Trump persists in making baseless allegations regarding election fraud, military and administration officials maintain that no plans exist to send immigration officers or military forces to voting locations.White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis pointed the finger at "radical Democrats," arguing they created anxieties over voting security by refusing to pass voter ID mandates and other measures supported by Republicans."President Trump has done more than any other president to ensure we have free and fair elections," Bis said.Tens of thousands of volunteers trained to observeState Democratic parties have trained an estimated 10,000 volunteers to observe polling places and report anything potentially concerning they might see from federal agents. Common Cause has trained roughly 16,000 more volunteers to stand watch at voting precincts, said Suzanne Almeida, vice president of states for the group.She said a broader Election Protection coalition involving 300 other groups has trained tens of thousands more.Smaller pockets of volunteers from other groups also are preparing to show up, including roughly 100 organized by Senate Democrats and hundreds more from a Democratic-allied group called Save America, which is training clergy members, veterans, teachers and other local community members. National groups such as Indivisible and MoveOn are activating their own expansive networks.There are so many organizations working to protect the voting process — including many that cannot legally coordinate with each other — that some officials involved worry about unintentionally creating chaos outside polling locations.Almeida said Election Day confusion is possible in some precincts but the nature of the threat requires a collective effort.“It will actually take all of us if some of the threats we are most worried about come to pass,” she said.Trump administration sends its own teamHarmeet Dhillon, a Trump appointee who leads the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, was asked on CBS’ “60 Minutes” whether the Republican administration is planning to send ICE agents to polling places.“There is no plan to do that,” she responded.Still, the Justice Department is planning its largest-ever election monitoring effort, with about 1,000 department staff expected to observe voting and ensure federal laws are being followed, spokesperson Kiersten Pels said. That comes after a primary season in which the department said it deployed more than 100 election monitors across hundreds of polling locations.At least one of those placements sparked tensions with local officials. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, said the behavior of two monitors during that state's primary was “a bit aggressive” and “irregular.” A Laramie County clerk said the Justice Department monitors arrived at the polls intending to interview voters, but her office didn’t allow it.The department disagrees that the monitors did anything improper, Pels said. She added that the monitors are trained to comply with federal law governing conduct at polling places and won’t “interfere with the voting process.”Democratic lawmakers and voting rights advocates have raised concerns that the Trump administration’s monitors could intimidate voters or abandon the duty they’ve had for decades to protect against civil rights violations.The department plans to send them to every state, focusing on high-population areas, jurisdictions that have had problems in the past and districts with close elections, according to a senior department official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under terms set by the department.The Republican National Committee said its operation involves deploying “election integrity deputy state directors” in 22 states, among them Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina.Those workers are the “eyes and the ears of the RNC in the field” who recruit volunteers and organize trainings, said Ally Triolo, the RNC’s election integrity communications director. Their mission is to surface anything that seems unlawful.At the same time, the RNC has enlisted nearly 22,000 poll workers and is recruiting poll-watching volunteers for competitive districts. The poll watchers will “observe the process and help ensure election rules are followed in accordance with the law,” Triolo said.Local election officials prepare for increased attentionWhile federal monitors have quietly observed elections for decades, largely without incident, some election officials are taking precautions.Chris Swope, the city clerk in Lansing, Michigan, said he preemptively contacted law enforcement and his attorney in case federal monitors violate election law, although he expects them to abide by the rules.The Democratic Mayors Association issued guidance to local Democratic officials with detailed instructions about what to do if federal agents appear at polling locations.It notes that federal law prohibits the presence of federal immigration agents, the FBI or other investigative personnel. It also issued a reminder that federal agents are not allowed to be armed at the polls, nor are they allowed to interact with voters or handle ballots or election equipment.Justice Department officials have said their monitors won't be armed and will not interfere with voting. Asked about department monitors being sent to Georgia, Trump told a reporter recently: “They’re not going to do anything other than watch."Some of the poll observations have already begun. Mary Corcoran, Save America's executive director, said her group's volunteers have been monitoring precincts during early voting in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio to help give voters a sense of security.“The fear is the point, and we must do something about it,” she said. “Left unanswered, fear does the work of keeping people home without a single agent setting foot at a polling place.”