Federal election monitors fanned out across Charleston County on Tuesday, Nov. 3, making it the only jurisdiction in South Carolina included in the Department of Justice's largest poll-watching operation ever.

The DOJ deployed approximately 1,000 monitors and observers to jurisdictions in all 50 states for the first time, according to a department announcement. The effort is coordinated by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.

For North Charleston voters heading to the polls, the monitors' presence is limited. A federal judge ordered Monday, Nov. 2, that monitors must be unarmed, out of uniform and cannot display insignia identifying them as federal employees, Fox News reported. They also cannot make arrests or interfere with voters or election officials.

Isaac Cramer, executive director of the Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, said voters should not be intimidated by the federal watch officers, according to the Post and Courier. Cramer said the monitors would be in street clothes but identifiable in areas set aside for poll watchers. He said he was not told why Charleston County was selected.

This is not the county's first time under federal watch. The DOJ also sent monitors to Charleston County during the special primary GOP runoff held Aug. 25, the Post and Courier reported.

Why Charleston County?

No explanation has been given. Live 5 News reported it is unclear why Charleston was the only South Carolina jurisdiction selected. Fox Carolina reported the selection mirrors the primary election earlier in 2026, when monitors were also limited to the Lowcountry.

The monitors are checking for compliance with federal voting rights laws, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Acts, the DOJ said. The Civil Rights Division's Disability Rights Section also enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure voters with disabilities have equal access.

Scale dwarfs past elections

The operation is far larger than previous years. Newsweek reported that 289 monitors were deployed for the 2022 midterms and 714 for the 2024 presidential election. The DOJ monitored 86 jurisdictions across 27 states in 2024, Axios reported.

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

Voting rights groups push back

The NAACP sued the DOJ in October seeking records about the monitoring plans, according to Newsweek. The group argued the expanded federal presence could intimidate voters and violate the Voting Rights Act.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton denied the NAACP's request to block the monitors but ordered the DOJ to ensure they are administrative or clerical personnel, not sworn law enforcement officers, Fox News reported. Monitors must follow state and local rules and cannot speak with voters inside polling places, according to the judge's order.

Kristen Clarke, the NAACP's general counsel and a former assistant attorney general for civil rights, told Newsweek that monitors "are not able to speak with voters inside polling places, and they cannot interfere with election officials."

Election authorities in at least five states have restricted or challenged the federal operation, Newsweek reported. Officials in Indiana, Kentucky, Washington County in Arkansas, and Hennepin and Ramsey counties in Minnesota said DOJ monitors cannot enter polling places without legal authorization or local permission.

Charleston County led the state in early voting with 99,275 ballots cast before Election Day, according to Count on 2. Berkeley County reported 49,969 early voters and Dorchester County reported 36,862.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election hotline at 1-800-253-3931.