The DuPage County State's Attorney's Office has prosecutors and investigators standing by on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to handle reports of suspected Election Code violations at local polling places.
The office will be available through 7 p.m. and will maintain communication with the DuPage County clerk's office, according to a news release reported by the Chicago Tribune. Local law enforcement and sheriff's deputies will also be on call. DuPage County voters with questions or concerns can reach the county clerk at 630-407-5600 or the state's attorney's Election Hotline at 630-407-8118.
The local preparations come as the U.S. Department of Justice deploys approximately 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states. The DOJ called it the largest monitoring effort in the department's history and the first to cover every state.
In Illinois, monitors are assigned to six jurisdictions: Chicago, Cook County, Champaign County, Sangamon County, St. Clair County and Madison County. DuPage County is not on the list.
Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon, whose office administers elections in the Cook County suburbs, said Nov. 2 that there had been "tremendous voter engagement in early voting and vote by mail," with totals exceeding those from four years ago, the Chicago Tribune reported. Gordon said Cook County election officials "have no information that federal officers will be visiting any of our polling places." Election judges are prepared to respond "if any situation arises," she said.
The DOJ effort is coordinated by the department's Civil Rights Division. Monitors include personnel from the division, U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Office of Personnel Management. According to Newsweek, the department said monitors would not carry firearms or exercise law enforcement authority. An Oct. 28 court filing clarified that FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel would not serve as monitors. By comparison, 289 monitors were deployed for the 2022 midterms and 714 for the 2024 presidential election.
The deployment has drawn scrutiny. Some voting rights groups, including the NAACP, have said they believe the expanded federal presence could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, according to USA Today. Election authorities in at least five states have restricted, challenged or prepared additional oversight of the federal operation, Newsweek reported.
The Illinois attorney general's office said in a statement that federal poll monitors are not new and have traditionally been deployed to ensure compliance with federal voting laws. The office said it has been in contact with the DOJ and has no reason to believe the monitors will go beyond their traditional role, the Tribune reported. Teams of assistant attorneys general and investigators from the attorney general's office will be watching the polls alongside the federal monitors.
Illinois polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters standing in line at closing time will be allowed to cast their ballots. As we reported Nov. 2, our election guide has details on local races and polling locations.
Voters with federal voting rights questions or complaints can call the DOJ hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected].
