Bellows says Maine will monitor DOJ's Election Day monitors
Shenna BellowsMaine secretary of state
Bellows calls election monitoring routine and says voters need not be alarmed. She says state and local officials will make sure DOJ monitors follow the law and do not disrupt voting.
Responding to
DOJ's expanded nationwide election-monitoring deployment is justified as routine enforcement of federal election law.
“We will be monitoring the monitors. We will make sure that they follow all of the laws and that they don't interfere or disrupt voting on Election Day in any way whatsoever”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should DOJ send election monitors to all 50 states?
Attorney General Todd Blanche says DOJ will send election monitors to every state for the 2026 midterms. Harmeet Dhillon describes trained legal professionals observing and documenting voting. The NAACP argues that the expanded deployment risks intimidation and lacks a clear public explanation of its authority. Its October 2 lawsuit seeks records about the program, including personnel, training, locations and state consent.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Clerks in Lewiston and Portland received DOJ letters on Oct. 21 saying monitors would attend on Nov. 3. A DOJ spokesperson confirms monitors in all 50 states and describes their role. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows says state officials will make sure the monitors follow the law.
Before the quotation
DOJ letters told Lewiston and Portland clerks that monitors would attend on Nov. 3. Bellows says DOJ under Trump has targeted voting rights in unprecedented ways but that she does not want voters to be alarmed.
After the quotation
She says DOJ monitors in Wyoming's primary crossed a line with intrusive questioning, and that officials will discuss preventing such problems in a meeting with DOJ.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
She accepts DOJ monitoring as routine on the condition that monitors follow the law, while criticizing the department's wider record on voting rights.
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More from this case
Read the full caseLamont says DOJ monitors are not needed in Connecticut
“Elections are local. We've got it under control.”Read statement
Blumenthal tells DOJ monitors they are not needed in Connecticut
“We don't need you in New Haven. We don't need you in Connecticut”Read statement
Dhillon calls the 50-state deployment the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history
“Election integrity has been one of the top priorities for this Administration and this Division ... I am very proud we are deploying the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history, and pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Bellows says Maine will monitor DOJ's Election Day monitors". First published: 2026-10-26. Last updated: 2026-10-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/6842-bellows-calls-election-monitoring-routine-and-says-voters