Senate Democrats will send more than 100 election observers to nine states

Senate Democrats say they have trained more than 100 congressional staffers who will fan out across nine states to watch voting and ballot counting in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Alex Padilla of California rolled out the plan on Wednesday.

Who is going and where

The observers come from the Senate Election Observer Program, which started in June and runs through the Senate Rules Committee where Padilla is the top Democrat. Every state on the list has a tight Senate contest, among them Ohio, Georgia and Michigan.

This is the first effort of its kind for the Senate. The House has sent its own observers for years. A 2024 law that spelled out congressional observer access cleared the way for the upper chamber to follow. Senate Republicans are planning to send observers too.

What they will do

Their job is to record any voter intimidation, threats against poll workers, false information campaigns or other trouble on Election Day and while ballots are counted and certified. Schumer said the observers are there to watch, write it down and report the facts.

Padilla stressed that the staffers will not run elections or handle a single ballot. He said they are not there to make a scene. He added that they could stay on the ground for days or even weeks after the vote if needed. Democrats hope to pair them with Republican Senate aides wherever they can.

Why Democrats say it is needed

Democrats point to the president's repeated claims of voter fraud and his refusal to rule out unusual federal action near polling places. Padilla said he would not put anything past the administration when it comes to meddling in the election.

The Justice Department says its own plan to send about 1,000 monitors to voting sites is meant to enforce the law and protect election integrity. With party observers, civil rights volunteers and nonpartisan groups also gearing up, this fall is on track to be one of the most closely watched elections in the country's history.