Federal election monitors are stationed at polling places in Cook County and Chicago on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of what the U.S. Department of Justice called its largest monitoring effort ever.

The DOJ said it deployed approximately 1,000 monitors and observers to all 50 states for the first time, according to a department statement. The effort is coordinated by the Civil Rights Division.

In Illinois, the DOJ listed six jurisdictions for monitoring: Chicago, Cook County, Champaign, Sangamon, St. Clair and Madison. The department listed Cook County and Chicago as separate jurisdictions, though it did not specify how many monitors were assigned to each or which polling locations they would visit.

Park Ridge falls within suburban Cook County, where Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon's office manages elections for more than 1.7 million registered voters, according to the clerk's office.

What monitors can and cannot do

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement ahead of Election Day that DOJ poll monitors cannot interfere with election administration in any way, according to Patch.

Raoul said monitors must present credentials when entering polling places. They must follow the instructions of election judges and cannot inspect, touch or seize ballots or voting equipment, decide which votes are counted, or interfere with election administration. Federal monitors can only interact with voters with the voter's consent.

Raoul said he had been in contact with the DOJ and that his office had no reason to believe monitors would be engaged in anything inconsistent with traditional monitoring efforts.

Concerns from voting rights groups

The deployment drew criticism from some voting rights organizations. USA Today reported that voting rights groups, including the NAACP, said they believe the deployment could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups.

In states with some of the hardest-fought Senate contests, monitors were assigned to cities and counties with disproportionately high levels of Black and Hispanic residents according to the U.S. Census, USA Today reported.

The DOJ framed the effort differently. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in the department's statement that the deployment pursues transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.

How to report problems

The DOJ said monitors will check for compliance with federal voting rights statutes, including the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and laws prohibiting voter intimidation based on race, color, national origin or religion.

Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected]. Complaints about violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported to local police by calling 911 first, then to the DOJ.