VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The U.S. Department of Justice is planning to send neutral observers to polling places in Virginia Beach on Election Day, according to the chair of the city’s electoral board.
Nanette Miller, chair of the Virginia Beach Electoral Board, said the registrar recently received an email from the Justice Department requesting that observers be allowed at city precincts.
“They will be observing,” Miller said. “They will sit over in a designated area and they will observe the process.”
Miller said the observers will be able to ask questions if any arise. Election officials are still coordinating which precincts they will visit, but Miller expects one or two groups of two observers.
According to Miller, this is the first time the Justice Department has made such a request in Virginia Beach.
“We don't have issues and problems, and I'm more than happy to have the Department of Justice come in and see how the election process actually works,” Miller said.
The request comes as the Virginia Department of Elections has issued a bulletin detailing how election officials should handle observers.
The bulletin cites “heightened public concern regarding potential influence in the 2026 general election,” including concerns about possible federal government actions. Those concerns include disruptive monitors, the deployment of armed federal agents and the seizure of election materials.
News 3 asked the Justice Department why observers are being sent to Virginia Beach.
A DOJ spokesperson said the department plans to have approximately 1,000 monitors across all 50 states.
“Every monitor will merely observe and report any potential violations of federal law to the Department, which will be reviewed after Election Day,” the spokesperson said.
The Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan organization focused on protecting and strengthening the U.S. democratic process, has been monitoring the Justice Department’s use of observers around the country, including during primaries this year. The organization says the monitoring program drew increased media attention, but that the majority of federal observers did not cause issues.
Miller said Virginia Beach election officials are prepared to deal with any issues that might arise.
“I have no concerns with that if they do what they're supposed to do, which is observe,” Miller said. “If there's any issues with anyone, including a representative from the party, the chiefs know how to handle those situations and everything will be done to the letter of the law.”
The Justice Department spokesperson said its observers will not interfere with the voting process.
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