Federal Election Monitors Head to Boston Polls Nov. 3: What They Can and Can’t Do

Federal election monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice are expected at polling places in Boston and Lowell on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin. The department says it will send about 1,000 monitors to all 50 states for the state and federal election, in what its civil rights chief called the largest such effort in its history.

~1,000 federal monitors nationwide · 443,178 registered Boston voters · 275 precincts · 39,352 ballots in before Election Day

What federal monitors can and can’t do

The Justice Department told NBC10 Boston its monitors “will merely observe and report any potential violations of federal law to the Department, which will be reviewed after Election Day.” Under the department’s guidelines, as reported by NBC10 Boston, monitors wear plain clothes, may not interfere with voting, may not speak with voters inside polling places, report concerns to team leaders and may not carry firearms.

Galvin told WBUR the observers will check that polling places offer required language services and are accessible to voters with disabilities. “The federal observers will be there to verify these are in fact being made available to voters, that the polling locations are accessible, and if there’s language issues, that there’s services for them,” he said. Galvin added that anyone can observe precincts but no one can interfere with voting.

Boston’s own rules for observers and the press also apply. The Boston Election Department says observers must stay outside the guardrail area around the check-in table, voting booths and ballot box, and may not interact with voters inside. Exit polling is allowed outside, within 150 feet of a polling place, as long as it does not block voters.

What each side says

The Justice Department describes the deployment as routine. “We will be in all 50 states, doing the routine election monitoring the department has done for decades,” it said in a statement to NBC10 Boston. A senior department official told NBC News that monitors are sent to densely populated areas, places with competitive races and places with past election problems. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon called it “the largest monitoring effort” in the department’s history, WBUR reported.

Galvin said the practice “has happened under every administration,” but told WBUR he understands why some residents may be wary, citing what he described as statements from the White House and actions by the Justice Department “that in many cases seem to be hostile to the rights of voters.” He also said he is confident working with the department to ensure a smooth day of voting. NBC10 Boston reported that Democratic lawmakers and voting rights advocates have raised concerns about possible voter intimidation.

In Lowell, which NBC10 Boston said has had federal observers at three of its last five general elections, Elections Director William Rosenberry called the monitoring “routine” and said the observers are not immigration enforcement agents.

By the numbers: Boston heading into Election Day

Boston has 443,178 registered voters, 275 precincts and more than 2,002 trained poll workers, including more than 483 who can help in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean, Russian and Portuguese, the Election Department said. The city mailed 69,759 requested mail and absentee ballots. As of Oct. 25, 29,269 had come back, a 42.0% return rate (TBR calculation). Add 10,083 in-person early votes through Oct. 26 and the city had received 39,352 ballots, equal to 8.9% of registered voters (TBR calculation). Those figures came before the last days of early voting, which ended Oct. 30.

How to vote in Boston on Nov. 3

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ballots this year are three double-sided cards, which voters feed into the tabulator one at a time. Mail ballots cannot be returned at polling places; they can go in any of the city’s 22 drop boxes until 8 p.m. Tuesday, and ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 count if they arrive by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6. The city expects to post precinct-level unofficial results by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The ballot includes races for governor and U.S. Senate and nine statewide questions, including Question 7 on starter homes. Our Boston politics guide lists key dates and the City Council roster.

Sources

• WBUR: Justice Department will deploy poll monitors in Boston and Lowell on Election Day
• NBC10 Boston: DOJ sending election monitors to polling places in some Mass., N.H. cities
• Boston.gov: Election Department issues reminders ahead of the Nov. 3 state election
• Boston.gov: 2026 state election ballot questions