Federal election monitors fanned out across three Ohio counties on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of the Department of Justice's largest election monitoring effort in its history.

The DOJ deployed approximately 1,000 monitors and observers to all 50 states for the first time, according to a department announcement. In Ohio, monitors were assigned to Cuyahoga, Franklin and Medina counties, according to WOWK and a full jurisdiction list published by MassLive.

Hamilton, Clermont and Warren counties were not on the list.

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

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in the department's statement that election integrity has been one of the top priorities for the administration and the division. The DOJ has sent election monitors since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but this marks the first deployment covering all 50 states.

Monitors are checking compliance with federal voting rights statutes, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the department said.

Concerns from voting-rights groups

The deployment drew criticism. Some voting-rights groups, including the NAACP, said they believe the monitors could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority groups, USA Today reported.

In states with closely contested Senate races, monitors were assigned to cities and counties with disproportionately high levels of Black and Hispanic residents, according to Census data cited by USA Today. Monitors were not sent exclusively to minority-heavy areas, though. Medina County, one of the three Ohio counties receiving monitors, is approximately 90% white.

The monitoring effort comes after courts rejected DOJ attempts to force states to restrict voting over alleged noncitizen participation, Axios reported. The DOJ is also pursuing legal efforts in multiple states related to ballot counting, Axios reported.

Hamilton County readies for Election Day

Closer to home, Hamilton County election officials were making final preparations Monday, Nov. 2. Sherry Poland, director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections, told WCPO her team was ready.

"We assign our staff members one task," Poland said. "We feel that's the best way to navigate an emergency situation, you just have to remember one thing … we try to be prepared for anything that will come our way."

Polls in Ohio opened at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonpartisan nonprofit, told WLWT in October that state and local officials run and oversee elections, not the federal government.

Voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights laws can call the DOJ's election issues hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected].