AURN News with Ebony McMorris

NAACP Sues for Records on DOJ Election Monitor Plan

Ebony McMorris
October 8, 2026

Reading Time: 2 minutes

WASHINGTON (AURN News) — With 26 days until the midterms, the NAACP is asking a federal court to force the Trump administration to disclose its plans for election monitors.

The organization announced its emergency records lawsuit Oct. 5, citing Attorney General Todd Blanche’s statement that election monitors would be deployed to all 50 states.

A voter carries his ballot to a booth at a polling station in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on Nov. 4, 2025. The NAACP is seeking details about the Department of Justice’s plan to deploy more than 1,000 federal personnel during the midterms, including where monitors will be sent and under what authority. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

The NAACP says the Justice Department missed the response deadline for its Sept. 1 public records request. It is seeking records detailing the legal authority, deployment locations and training materials for the operation.

For Black voters, the concern is whether federal personnel will protect access to the ballot or create fear about casting a vote.

Attorney General Todd Blanche is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general has stalled after the committee postponed a vote on advancing his confirmation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The Justice Department has long monitored elections to help enforce federal voting rights laws. The NAACP is questioning the administration’s purpose and safeguards, warning of potential voter intimidation.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @ebonymcmorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.