Feds plan to monitor polling places in LA, Riverside and Orange Counties

The U.S. Department of Justice plans to monitor polling sites in five California counties -- including Los Angeles and Orange -- during the Nov. 4 election in which voters will decide whether to approve a temporary statewide redistricting aimed at adding more Democrat representation in Congress.

Monitors will also be stationed in Riverside,  Fresno and Kern counties. The DOJ will also monitor polling places in Passaic County, New Jersey.

The announcement came days after the California Republican Party requested that polling places be monitored in select counties due to "reports of irregularities" in recent elections.

"Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. "We will commit the resources necessary to ensure the American people get the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve."

“Federal election monitors, like all election observers, are welcome to view election activities at designated locations to confirm transparency and integrity in the election process,” Dean Logan, L.A. County Registrar-Recorder and County Clerk, said in a statement. “Voters can have confidence their ballot is handled securely and counted accurately.”

DOJ officials said the monitoring effort is designed "to ensure transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal law."

"Our democracy depends on free and fair elections," Acting U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles Bill Essayli said in a statement. "We will work tirelessly to uphold and protect the integrity of the election process."

Critics argue that this is a form of intimidation by the DOJ to manipulate the vote of Prop 50. 

The Nov. 4 election will decide Prop 50, which would temporarily redraw California's congressional district maps in hopes of increasing Democrat representation. The proposal, spearheaded by Gov. Gavin Newsom, was launched in an effort to counter redistricting efforts in Texas that added five more Republican-leaning districts.

Additional reporting by City News Service.