The Department of Justice deployed approximately 1,000 election monitors across all 50 states on Tuesday, Nov. 3, marking the largest such effort in the agency's history. Denton County is not among the seven Texas counties where monitors were sent.

In Texas, the DOJ assigned monitors to Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Waller, Blanco, Bowie and Nueces counties. Dallas County, which borders Denton County to the south, is the closest monitored jurisdiction to Flower Mound and Highland Village.

The DOJ said the effort is coordinated by its Civil Rights Division. Monitors include personnel from multiple DOJ divisions, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that election integrity has been a top priority for the administration. She called the deployment "the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history."

The DOJ said monitors will check for compliance with federal voting rights statutes, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agency said it has sent election monitors since the Voting Rights Act's enactment in 1965, but this is the first deployment covering all 50 states.

Concerns raised

The deployment drew pushback. USA Today reported that voting-rights groups, including the NAACP, said they believe the monitors could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups. Some local election officials also raised concerns that the monitors could intimidate voters.

USA Today reported that in states with closely contested Senate races, the DOJ assigned monitors to counties with disproportionately high Black and Hispanic populations, according to U.S. Census data. In Texas, Nueces County is 64% Hispanic, Bexar County is 60% Hispanic and Harris County is 46% Hispanic, according to the report.

Axios reported the deployment came after courts repeatedly rejected DOJ efforts to force states to restrict voting for alleged noncitizens.

What's on the ballot locally

Denton County voters headed to assigned precinct locations Tuesday, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Unlike during early voting, Election Day voters in Denton County must cast ballots at their specific precinct.

The Denton County ballot features the U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, the governor's race between Republican Greg Abbott and Democrat Gina Hinojosa, and several congressional contests.

Flower Mound voters also face Proposition A, which asks whether to reauthorize a quarter-cent local sales tax for street maintenance and repair. The tax expires four years after the election unless voters renew it.

Flower Mound polling sites include the Community Activity Center at 1200 Gerault Road, Flower Mound Public Library at 3030 Broadmoor Lane and several schools. Highland Village voters cast ballots at locations including the Municipal Complex at 1000 Highland Village Road and Briarhill Middle School at 2100 Briarhill Blvd.

Voters with questions about federal voting rights can call the DOJ's election hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected]. The Denton County Elections Administration can be reached at 940-349-3200.