Department of Justice election monitor deployment will include South Dakota’s Minnehaha County

The South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office said this week that federal election monitors will be in Minnehaha County for the Nov. 3 election, as the Trump administration prepares to deploy 1,000 monitors nationwide. 

The state office said it received notice from the U.S. Department of Justice that monitors will go to the state’s most populous county, which includes Sioux Falls, to observe procedures and assess compliance with federal voting rights laws. The office did not specify how many federal monitors will be assigned to Minnehaha County or which polling locations they will visit.

Minnehaha County Auditor Leah Anderson said it’s routine to have Department of Justice monitors in the state, and she’s meeting with department officials Wednesday to learn more. 

“They usually just have observers to ensure federal civil rights are respected,” Anderson said.

Trump’s DOJ sends 1,000 election monitors to 50 states

Federal election monitoring is a longstanding practice. But the context of this year’s deployment has raised concerns among some voting rights advocates.

President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which he refused to acknowledge defeat. Meanwhile, some state officials say they are preparing for chaos at the polls as Trump casts doubt on election security and advocates more federal involvement in states’ elections.

Voting rights groups have organized volunteers to observe polling locations and document potential problems. That includes the American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota, which hosted four events this month to train volunteer observers. 

Samantha Chapman is the advocacy manager for the ACLU of South Dakota. She said President Joe Biden’s administration sent a few monitors to the state in 2024, and they were a “very neutral presence at the polls.” Chapman said she hopes this group is the same. 

“But with the Trump administration’s actions and rhetoric to almost try and federalize elections, it does read a little differently,” Chapman said. 

She said ACLU election observers will watch federal officials to see how they interact with voters and whether their presence is intimidating, intentionally or not.

Additionally, the Native American Rights Fund will send nearly 300 attorneys, law students and volunteers to polling places in seven states, including South Dakota. The volunteers will observe to ensure election rules are followed, and to document any barriers Native voters encounter. Organization attorneys can also provide legal counsel.

The U.S. Department of Justice has said its monitors will not interfere with voting and will report potential violations to the proper officials. The Secretary of State’s Office said the federal presence will not change any voting procedures established under state law.

“The DOJ has also stated that its monitors will not speak to voters inside polling places or carry firearms,” the Secretary of State’s Office said in a news release.

The office said voters should direct any concerns about activities at a polling location to the precinct superintendent or appropriate election officials. The ACLU has encouraged people to report problems to an Election Protection hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE.