Federal election monitors arrived at polling locations in Davidson, Knox and Shelby counties on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of a Department of Justice operation spanning all 50 states for the first time.

Williamson County, which led Tennessee in early voter turnout at about 38%, was not among the three counties selected for federal monitoring, according to a DOJ list published Tuesday.

The DOJ called the deployment its "largest monitoring effort in history," with approximately 1,000 monitors and observers stationed across the country. A DOJ spokesperson declined to say how many monitors were assigned to Tennessee, Tennessee Lookout reported.

Shelby County Election Commissioner Linda Phillips confirmed Monday, Nov. 2, that she had received notification federal monitors would be at Memphis polling locations.

"No reason has been shared regarding why our county was selected, but we are one of three Tennessee counties to receive the notice," Phillips said in a statement, according to Tennessee Lookout. Phillips noted the last time election monitors were present in Memphis and Shelby County was 2018.

A spokesperson for Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins did not reply to questions about the monitored counties before Election Day, Tennessee Lookout reported.

What monitors can and cannot do

The monitors are DOJ employees tasked with observing polling places and documenting compliance with federal civil rights laws, including the Voting Rights Act. They have no authority over poll workers or election officials and cannot interfere with a voter's right to cast a ballot, according to Tennessee Lookout.

Adam Altendorf, organizing director of Organize Tennessee, a nonpartisan group that trains volunteer election observers, said the federal monitors "are not allowed to enforce state law." They also cannot enforce federal law on the spot, he said.

"They're not allowed to really talk to voters until after they're done voting," Altendorf said. "They're prohibited, of course, from engaging in any sort of political activity."

In an Oct. 28 court filing, the DOJ clarified that FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel would not serve as monitors, Newsweek reported. Monitors would not carry firearms or exercise law enforcement authority, according to court filings cited by Newsweek.

Scale and pushback

The operation marks a sharp increase. The DOJ deployed 289 monitors for the 2022 midterms and 714 for the 2024 presidential election, according to Newsweek. During the 2026 primary, the DOJ sent monitors to 11 states, according to Tennessee Lookout.

Voting rights groups, including the NAACP, have raised concerns that the expanded federal presence could intimidate voters, USA Today reported. Election authorities in at least five states have restricted or challenged the federal operation, according to Newsweek.

The DOJ said its personnel must follow legal and ethical restrictions and that monitors would only observe and report potential violations for review after Election Day.

Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election hotline at 1-800-253-3931.