Election monitors to patrol polling locations in Tennessee on Election Day

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Election monitors will be in place on Election Day in Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

It’s part of a “comprehensive strategy to oversee federal voting protections and investigate potential election fraud for the 2026 midterm elections,” the DOJ said.

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett says this is a common practice that has been put in place during previous administrations.

“They cannot interfere with the administration of the elections,” Hargett said. “So they can’t touch a ballot, they can’t tell a poll worker what to do, they can’t tell a voter what they can and can’t do. They are strictly there to monitor and make sure that federal law is being obeyed, whether it’s about the Americans with Disabilities Act or the National Voters Rights Act, any of those things. But they are strictly here to observe. They have absolutely zero input about how elections are being run in this state.”

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