DOJ singles out 2 blue counties for Indiana election monitoring, won't disclose elsewhere in state

The DOJ has informed Indiana state officials it plans to send election monitors to polling places in two majority-Democratic counties.

In an email sent to the Indiana Secretary of State Election Division last week, the DOJ singled out Lake County, in Northwest Indiana, and Marion County, home to the capital, Indianapolis.

The department will send about 1,000 monitors nationwide to observe and report any potential violations to federal law, a "routine" practice it has done for decades, a DOJ spokeperson told WBEZ and the Sun-Times in a statement. But the department will not share the full list of counties until Election Day, and some Democratic officials as well as some residents in Lake and Marion counties argue announcing their counties in advance and by name is cause for concern.

Ellen Kelly, a grandmother from Gary, Indiana, visited the Lake County Government Complex in Crown Point to cast her ballot a week before the Nov. 3 midterm election. She said she believe the DOJ's announcement is a "scare tactic."

“It’s a form of intimidation,” Kelly said. “It’s a way of controlling people and causing trouble.”

Lake and Marion counties are historically blue areas in a mostly-red state, and in 2024 both were carried by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. In Marion County, Harris' margin was nearly 28 percentage points.

Associated Press

Tuesday’s midterm includes the race for the 1st Congressional District seat now held by Frank J. Mrvan, a Democrat. His opponent is Republican Barb Regnitz, a Porter County commissioner.

Regnitz has Trump’s endorsement in a district stretching from Gary to Michigan City, spanning three counties.

Last year, President Donald Trump pushed but failed to get Indiana Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional map to make the 1st and 7th Congressional Districts to favor Republicans. The 7th Congressional District includes Indianapolis. The seat is now held by Democratic incumbent Andre Carson.

The move by Trump’s DOJ isn’t sitting well with Lake County Democrats.

“My position is one of concern in that there's not been any sort of complaint they're following up on," said Michael Repay, chairman of the Lake County Democratic Central Committee and a county commissioner. "Another concern is that this Department of Justice doesn't seem to have a good track record for ensuring civil rights."

Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times

Lake County GOP Chair Randy Niemeyer said he supports the DOJ’s move.

“We welcome oversight; we don’t have anything to hide,” Niemeyer, who is also a county councilman, said. “[Federal monitors] were here in 2016 under the Obama administration and I don’t recall there being any issues of voter intimidation. It’s not like they’re going to be stormtroopers."

Niemeyer said the monitors won’t have access to polling places since they do not possess the proper credentials. He sees the monitoring as fairly routine.

“It’s two counties where you see the highest number of votes in the state, the two largest counties and most precincts,” Niemeyer said. “I think that probably has more to do with it than anything,”

Candace Dane Chambers/Sun-Times

Michelle Fajman, director of the Lake County Board of Elections and Registration, said her office was set to meet with federal and state officials this week to go over what is expected.

Fajman said about a dozen election monitors will visit polling sites in the county, but the specific sites remain unclear. The monitors may ask voters exit questions but only outside the polls and participation is not required, he explained.

“Intimidation is always a concern; I cannot determine how someone is going to feel about that,” Fajman said. “But voters don't have to stop and talk to anyone. If they don't want to answer their exit polls, they don't have to.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican and unwavering Trump ally, supports the move by the DOJ.

“I want every election to be secure and run as effectively as possible, so that we can feel confident that our votes count and that the results are accurate, fair, and legitimate," Rokita said. "To help make that happen, I welcome the Department of Justice sending election monitors into Indiana on Nov. 3, and maybe even before."

Michael Puente is a reporter and weekend anchor for WBEZ. Reach him at [email protected].