DOJ told three Michigan cities it’s sending election monitors over long lines and registration issues, but local officials say the claims are false

The Department of Justice has notified officials in Detroit, Lansing, and East Lansing that it plans to send federal election monitors to these cities for the August 4 primary. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to increase oversight of voting procedures in Michigan, a key battleground state. The letters were delivered in recent weeks and specifically target three Democratic-leaning cities.

According to Detroit News, one of the communications was sent to Lansing city clerk Chris Swope on June 23. In that letter, Timothy Mellett, deputy chief of the DOJ’s Voting Section, wrote, “As part of our assessment of your administration of the federal primary election, we plan to have election monitors at your 2026 primary election.” He added, “We will contact you a week prior to election monitoring to discuss the particulars of the monitoring effort.”

The DOJ claims that Lansing failed to use the statewide voter registration list as the official list at polling places during the 2024 election, and also cited concerns about “long lines and lengthy waiting periods at some voting locations.” Local officials have disputed both claims. Swope stated clearly, “We did not have long lines in 2024,” and Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum said the allegations regarding Lansing have “absolutely no basis of proof.”

Local and state officials push back as DOJ defends monitors with precedent from past administrations

Byrum raised concerns that the federal presence could suppress voter turnout in Democratic areas. She stated, “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.” 

She also 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.”State Attorney General Dana Nessel weighed in as well, pointing out that courts have consistently ruled that states, not the federal government, are responsible for running elections. 

She said, “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.” A similar dispute arose when a judge ruled the Trump administration’s voter citizenship database broke federal law.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said her office welcomes observers who follow the law, but criticized the DOJ for what she called “baseless allegations” designed to confuse voters. DOJ spokeswoman Kiersten Pels confirmed the monitoring plans and noted that these three cities had also received federal monitors in past elections under previous administrations.

The push for oversight comes alongside a long-running debate over Michigan’s voting integrity. President Trump has repeatedly alleged that fraud affected his 2020 election loss in the state, though those claims have not been supported by evidence. A 2021 report from a Republican-led state Senate committee explicitly found “no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud” in that election. In another case, Trump announced an election integrity army for the 2026 midterms.

The administration has also separately sought records from Wayne County, including a complete copy of the voter registration list. With the August 4 primary approaching, the planned deployment of federal monitors in these three Michigan cities remains a significant point of dispute between local and federal officials.