Federal monitors watched primary voting in Lansing, East Lansing

The U.S. Department of Justice sent federal election monitors to Lansing and East Lansing, along with Detroit, for Tuesday's primary election. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the DOJ move followed allegations of election fraud tied to the 2024 general election. Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope said the city received a letter from the DOJ on June 23 notifying officials that monitors would be present.

Election workers set up designated observation areas for the monitors at polling places, and the monitors remained on the sidelines throughout the day. Mary Morgan, chairperson of Lansing Precinct 30, said monitors could sit wherever they wanted within the designated space and were 'pretty much on the sideline,' observing without most voters even noticing them.

Voters who spoke with WLNS said they had confidence in Michigan's election process and did not see a need for additional monitoring, with one voter, Michelle Chair, saying she has never felt watched or suspected fraud at her longtime polling place. The monitors declined on-camera interviews, and the DOJ described the monitoring as a longstanding practice under administrations of both parties meant to observe voting procedures and ensure transparency and compliance with federal law. Election officials reported no major issues at the polling locations visited.

Read the full story at wlns.com.