The U.S. Department of Justice plans to station election monitors in Detroit, Lansing and East Lansing for Michigan’s August primaries.
"The Department confirms it notified three Michigan cities last week of its intent to send election monitors for the Aug. 4 primary,” a spokesperson said in an email. “These jurisdictions have received Civil Rights Division monitors in past elections under previous administrations as well."
In the letter sent to Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, the Department of Justice cited long lines and other irregularities in the November 2024 election as reasons behind plans to send in monitors to the cities that are typically high Democratic-turnout jurisdictions.
The DOJ letter was first reported by The Detroit News.
In a reply dated Tuesday, Winfrey called the Justice Department’s rationale “thin gruel” and “false assertions that form a baseless conclusion that then becomes the pretext for additional monitoring of Detroit elections.”
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a statement said there is little to no evidence to back the Justice Department complaints, which she said are intended to cast doubt on the integrity of elections.
"Michigan’s elections are transparent, accurate, accessible, and secure," said Benson. "And while the U.S. 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.”
Benson is on the August ballot as a candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Phil Mayor, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, said the Justice Department has the authority to send in monitors, but he finds this use of them troubling. He said President Donald Trump has never acknowledged losing the 2020 election.
“Given this administration’s election denialism and many of the other ways the administration has sought to discourage voting or spread false narratives, we’re certainly concerned,” he said. “We’ll be watching the conduct of DOJ’s monitors carefully to ensure that they comply with the law, that they don’t interact with or harass voters.”
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor and City Clerk Chris Swope issued a statement calling the federal government’s allegations about long lines and abnormal procedures “simply false.”
“Lansing, like every municipality in Michigan, holds open, free, and fair elections and there is an established legal process to monitor elections here,” they said. “If the federal government wants to send staff to watch how we do it, we are happy to have them view the process like anyone else.”
The Trump administration has also tried to get its hands on unredacted voter files that includes confidential information like partial Social Security numbers. A federal appeals court quashed that effort last month in a case that could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Michigan is considered a swing state in 2026 with the open races for governor, secretary of state, attorney general and a U.S. Senate seat on the ballot. Lansing also anchors Michigan’s Seventh Congressional District, where U.S. Representative Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) is seeking reelection in one of the most closely watched congressional races in the country. There are three Democrats running in the August primary for the opportunity to try to unseat him.
Michigan Republican Party Chair Jim Runestad said it makes sense for federal monitors to observe the August primary as a test run for a contentious and competitive general election.
“The stupid thing would be, 'OK, let’s wait a week or two before the general election and let’s start putting our processes in place,'” he said. “It’s the proper way to do stuff. You pilot all kinds of things in either a special or a primary election when your big concern is the general election.”
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