Federal Department of Justice observers will monitor polling places in Johnson County on Tuesday, Election Day, as part of a historic expansion of its monitoring efforts that includes three of the most populous areas of Kansas.

The department announced monitors will be in Wyandotte and Sedgwick counties as well as Johnson County.

County election Commissioner Connie Schmidt said the monitors will follow the same rules as any other poll watchers in the state, meaning that they will have election observer badges and authorization forms, and instructions to sign a check-in log at the polls.

The DOJ press release did not say how many observers would be assigned to Johnson County, or at which polling places. But according to reporting in the Kansas Reflector, the Secretary of State’s office said there would be eight DOJ observers in Wyandotte County, three in Sedgwick and two in Johnson County.

Secretary of State’s office spokesperson Whitney Tempel reportedly told the Reflector that the monitors will not be allowed to obstruct or interfere with voting, and that the voting experience should not be affected.

The Justice Department has sent monitors to various polling places since 1965, when the Voting Rights Act was enacted, but this year’s effort is the largest to date, according to its press release. There will be 1,000 monitors carrying out observations and, for the first time ever, the effort will take place in all 50 states.

Observers will be looking for compliance with federal voting rights statutes that fall within the jurisdiction of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, the release said.

“The Division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin, or religion,” it said. The observers will also look for compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ACLU of Kansas’ response to the Post was to remind voters of the limits on what poll watchers can and cannot do. Spokesperson Esmie Tseng wrote:

“We would remind folks of a few things:

• DOJ monitors have no special authority and must follow all state and federal laws, including those prohibiting voter intimidation and electioneering.
• DOJ monitors have no special right to enter polling places or ballot-counting locations. (In limited circumstances, the Voting Rights Act authorizes DOJ to deploy federal observers, who have broader access. As of 2026, federal observers can only be present in Union County, New Jersey; Pawtucket, Rhode Island; and St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.)
• Voter intimidation by anyone – including employees of the federal government – is illegal.
• Just like any other outside observer, a federal agent cannot direct election workers, decide who may vote, stop voting or ballot counting, or take custody of ballots or equipment.
• We have been preparing for this election and standby to ensure voters can vote safely, votes are counted, and results are honored.
• Anyone who experiences or witnesses voter intimidation, interference, or other problems voting should contact the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.”

The DOJ release also included a hotline number 1-800-253-3931, and email [email protected], to report election questions or complaints.