Clark County is the only Nevada jurisdiction where Department of Justice election monitors are stationed on Tuesday, Nov. 3, leaving Washoe County's 41 vote centers without federal observers.

The deployment is the DOJ's largest monitoring effort ever, with approximately 1,000 monitors and observers spread across all 50 states for the first time, according to a DOJ press release. The effort is coordinated by the department's Civil Rights Division.

In 2024, the DOJ monitored 86 jurisdictions across 27 states, the most since 2004, Axios reported.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that election integrity has been one of the top priorities for the administration and the division.

Nevada's response

Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said he welcomes observers, according to KOLO. Aguilar's office received a letter from the DOJ confirming its presence at election sites on Nov. 3.

Under Nevada law, observers must stay in a designated observer section, where they can watch voters check in, enter voting booths and feed ballots into scanners. They cannot interrupt the process and must enter as individuals with no indication of group affiliation, KOLO reported.

Aguilar said there is a difference between DOJ observers and federal law enforcement. He said he did not know whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other federal law enforcement would try to disrupt the voting process.

Nevada has an Election Integrity Task Force that includes the Secretary of State, the governor's office, the attorney general's office and local and state law enforcement, according to Aguilar. He said the group would respond collectively if something verifiable occurred.

Voting rights groups push back

The NAACP and Advancement Project filed a lawsuit on Oct. 16 seeking to block the DOJ from deploying federal prosecutors and other federal law enforcement to polling sites. The groups alleged the plan could have a chilling effect on voters and disrupt the election.

The NAACP alleged that during 2026 primary elections, the administration deployed monitors across a dozen states whose behavior officials described as "aggressive" and "irregular."

A DOJ spokesperson called the suit "built on a foundation of unwarranted fear and baseless speculation," according to Bloomberg Law. The spokesperson said the monitoring effort is "not an effort to intimidate voters, but to ensure compliance with federal law."

USA Today reported that in states with competitive Senate races, monitors were assigned to cities and counties with disproportionately high levels of Black and Hispanic residents, according to U.S. Census data. The case, NAACP v. Blanche, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

What Sparks-area voters should know

Washoe County is not on the list. Forty-one vote centers are open across the county from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to KOLO. Sparks locations include Dilworth Middle School, Sky Ranch Middle School, Reed High School, Mendive Middle School, Van Gorder Elementary School and Whitehead Elementary School. The Reno-Sparks Convention Center and Spanish Springs High School are among six "Super Centers" with expanded parking and up to 20 staff members.

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