DOJ to send election monitors to Utah, lieutenant governor says

SALT LAKE CITY — The Department of Justice will be sending election monitors to Utah ahead of the midterms, according to Utah's lieutenant governor.

In a post on the social platform Threads, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson announced she had been informed the election monitors would be sent, although there was "no indication" of where the monitors would be stationed or how many would be arriving in Utah, according to the post.

In a document obtained by KSL, the U.S. Department of Justice told Henderson election monitors would be sent to "one or more jurisdictions" in Utah on Nov. 3. Henderson spoke at the Office of the Lieutenant Governor Tuesday morning to answer questions about the document.

"I don't believe they said the word 'integrity' in there," Henderson said, "I think that they are looking just overall how elections are being run to make sure everything is being run on the up and up. And you know what? They are in Utah."

Utah residents are welcome to watch the current processes surrounding the elections in the state, Henderson said: "I welcome people looking and examining, what I don't welcome is any kind of interference."

The election monitors will be required to follow state laws applying to poll watchers, she said, and the monitors will not be wearing badges or insignias. However, the monitors will identify themselves to poll workers, based on the information she got from the Justice Department.

The monitors will not speak to or approach voters, will not be armed or carrying concealed weapons and will not be allowed to interfere in any way with the election process, according to the post.

The regional director overseeing election monitors in the area offered to connect with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor before the election, something Henderson said she planned on doing.

"I anticipate having a meeting beforehand to make sure that we're aware of what it is they're looking for," she said.

The Utah Democratic Party issued a statement Thursday morning after the lieutenant governor's post, opposing the Trump administration's "escalating" involvement in elections.

"Donald Trump does not get to spend years attacking our elections and then use the power of the federal government to intimidate the people who participate in them," Utah Democratic Party Chair Brian King said in the statement. "Utahns are not criminals, our elections are not Trump's to control, and our polling places are not his to weaponize. Every eligible voter has the right to cast a ballot without fear of retaliation or intimidation."

KSL contacted the Utah Republican Party chair for a response but did not immediately hear back.

The Justice Department previously sent poll watchers to San Juan County in 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2024, according to the lieutenant governor's office. It did not delve further into the state's history of other poll monitors, but KSL Investigators previously reported that San Juan County had experienced challenges with voting dating back to the 1980s.

Both Utah and federal law prevent poll watchers from recording voting or election processes in violation of a voter's right to privacy or a secret ballot, but do allow poll watchers to observe from a distance of at least six feet away from voters.

On Tuesday, Henderson said nearly 1,500 Utah voters had signed up to track their mail-in ballot online. Approximately 6.45% of Utahns have already voted, according to Henderson, with the highest turnout so far in Garfield County.

Utah residents can continue to register to vote online up until 5 p.m. Friday. Following Friday's deadline, residents will need to register in person at polling locations.

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