DOJ says it will send election monitors to 3 Michigan cities
Updated July 6, 2026, 9:19 p.m. ET
Lansing — President Donald Trump's Department of Justice has informed Michigan officials it intends to send election monitors to three cities in the battleground state for the Aug. 4 primary.
Letters from the federal department about the plans have mentioned Detroit, Lansing and East Lansing, said two sources who had knowledge of the messages but spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss them publicly.
The Detroit News obtained a copy of the letter that was sent directly to Chris Swope, Lansing's city clerk.
"As part of our assessment of your administration of the federal primary election, we plan to have election monitors at your 2026 primary election," wrote Timothy Mellett, deputy chief of the Department of Justice's Voting Section. "We will contact you a week prior to election monitoring to discuss the particulars of the monitoring effort."
All three cities are Democratic strongholds. Detroit is Michigan's largest city. Lansing and East Lansing, which is home to Michigan State University, are located in the swing 7th U.S. House District, where Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett of Charlotte is seeking a second term in November but faces no primary opponent.
The letters from the Department of Justice were delivered in recent weeks and marked an escalation of the Trump administration's bid to scrutinize voting in Michigan. Trump's Department of Justice has already sought a complete copy of Michigan's registered voter list and voting records from Wayne County, where Detroit is located.
Kiersten Pels, a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice, confirmed the plans for election monitors Monday evening, saying the three cities had received Civil Rights Division monitors in past elections under previous administrations.
In response to the letters, Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat and Michigan's top law enforcement official, said Monday evening the courts have made clear "time and time again" that states run elections, not the federal government.
"We encourage everyone to participate and see for themselves how secure and fair our elections are — but make no mistake, my office stands ready to hold accountable those who attempt to unlawfully interfere with or intimidate Michigan election workers," Nessel said.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, also a Democrat, added that her department welcomes "anyone who wants to — in compliance with the law — observe Michigan’s elections process," despite what she called the Justice Department's "baseless allegations" to confuse voters about Michigan's secure, transparent and fair elections.
Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly contended that widespread fraud caused him to lose Michigan's 2020 presidential election. But he and his supporters have not provided evidence to prove his assertions.
After the 2020 election, which Democrat Joe Biden won, Trump personally pressured two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers not to sign the certification of the vote. Trump said Republicans had been "cheated on this election" and "everybody knows Detroit is crooked as hell," according to audio recordings previously reviewed by The Detroit News.
However, in 2021, a Republican-led state Senate committee released a report finding "no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud" in the 2020 election.
Then, after winning a second term in November 2024, Trump said there was "horrible corruption" in Detroit's handling of elections and suggested that federal officials take over local responsibilities of administering elections.
The Department of Justice's letter to Swope was dated June 23 and claimed that Lansing officials didn't use the statewide voter registration list as the official registration list at polling places in the city in the 2024 election. It also suggested there were "long lines and lengthy waiting periods at some voting locations."
However, Swope said the statement by the Department of Justice was false. Long lines have generally not been an issue in Michigan as absentee voting and early voting have become frequently used methods of casting ballots.
"We did not have long lines in 2024," Swope said on Monday.
The Department of Justice sought precinct lists and official training materials from Swope by July 22.
"We appreciate your cooperation in providing this information," Mellett wrote to Swope.
The subject line of the message was "election information and monitoring for 2026 federal primary election."
Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said the Department of Justice's allegations about Lansing had "absolutely no basis of proof."
Both Lansing and East Lansing are located in Ingham County.
"Their presence at voting locations will be a nuisance and distraction at best, and a coordinated federal effort to disenfranchise Michigan’s qualified, registered voters and depress voter turnout in Democratic communities at worst," Byrum said. "It is not lost on me that President Trump is trying to send federal agents to our nation’s most highly contested congressional district."
Three Democrats are running for their party’s nomination to challenge Barrett this fall. The field features former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam and climate activist Will Lawrence.
"He is trying via dubiously legal means to manipulate our systems to solidify control of the House of Representatives," Byrum said. "This deployment can only be an extension of those efforts."