WASHINGTON — Federal Bureau of Prisons employees will serve as election monitors at polling places during the 2026 general election, according to a Justice Department court filing.
The employees will work under the supervision of DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and will be prohibited from carrying firearms or acting in a law enforcement capacity, Eric Neff, acting chief of the division’s Voting Section, said in an Oct. 28 declaration.
The filing does not say how many BOP employees will participate, where they will be assigned or whether any are sworn correctional officers.
Employees from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration will also serve as monitors, Neff said. No FBI or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees will participate.
According to the declaration, monitors’ primary duties will be observing polling places, taking notes and, where appropriate, interviewing willing voters outside about their voting experience after they have cast their ballots.
Monitors are instructed not to interfere with voters or election officials and must follow state and local rules. They are also trained not to speak with voters inside polling places.
The employees must wear business casual clothing without visible federal employment insignia, introduce themselves to election officials upon arrival and carry federal credentials to verify their identity if asked.
Neff said the division sought volunteers from within DOJ, consistent with past practice. The division does not track volunteers’ position titles, but clarifies their positions as needed to determine whether they are appropriate candidates.
The declaration was filed in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought by the NAACP against DOJ officials over records related to election monitoring.
As of Oct. 28, the division had not finished identifying all monitoring locations, Neff said. He argued that publicly releasing a full list of jurisdictions could undermine the monitoring effort and potentially put monitors at risk.
Neff said the monitoring effort is intended to ensure compliance with federal civil rights laws and follows practices used in previous election cycles.
