BALTIMORE — The U.S. Department of Justice will again send election monitors to Prince George’s County on Election Day to monitor compliance with federal voting requirements for providing election materials and language assistance in languages other than English, Maryland’s State Board of Elections said Tuesday.

The federal Voting Rights Act requires certain jurisdictions to provide election materials and language assistance in specified languages.

The DOJ has monitored elections in Prince George’s in recent years. In 2024, the DOJ deployed monitors to the county for the primary and general elections, as well as during the early voting period, to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws, according to the department. The DOJ also sent monitors to Prince George’s, one of 64 jurisdictions monitored nationwide during the 2022 election, to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws, including Spanish-language assistance requirements.

In a statement, a DOJ spokesperson said the monitoring is “routine,” adding that around 1,000 monitors will be present throughout the country on Election Day. The spokesperson did not respond to The Baltimore Sun’s question on why it specifically chose Prince George’s County.

The full list of where DOJ is sending monitors won’t be shared until Election Day, the spokesperson added.

Prince George’s County elections director didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Monitors are prohibited from intimidating voters or communicating with them inside polling places and will not wear identifying insignia indicating they represent the DOJ, the elections board said. They will observe and take notes only from designated observation areas, the board said.

“Maryland’s electoral process is verified, open, transparent, and secure. The State Board and every local board takes the responsibility of administering Maryland’s elections very seriously,” said Jared DeMarinis, the state elections administrator. “Every voter has the right to have their vote counted, and their voice heard in a safe environment free from intimidation, harassment or threats.”

Early voting in Maryland continues through Thursday. The general election is Nov. 3.

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(Konner Metz contributed to this story.)

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