U.S. Senate Democrats plan 100-plus election observers in nine battleground states, with monitoring to continue after Nov. 3 if needed

Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Alex Padilla announced plans to recruit and train more than 100 congressional staffers to monitor voting and ballot counting during the November midterm elections. The observers are to be deployed across nine battleground states with closely contested Senate races, including Ohio, Georgia and Michigan, to document possible voter intimidation, threats against election workers and other irregularities during voting, counting and certification after the Nov. 3 election.

Schumer said the observers’ role would be limited to watching, documenting and reporting facts. “Donald Trump does not get to decide who votes or which votes are counted,” he told reporters.

Padilla, the senior Democrat on the Senate committee overseeing election rules, said the deployment could continue for days or even weeks after election day if necessary as Democrats prepare for possible challenges to the final results. He emphasized that the observers would not handle ballots or have an administrative role, and were not being sent to interfere or cause a scene.

The programme, announced earlier this year, is an official congressional initiative, not a partisan campaign operation. Padilla said Democrats hope, where feasible, to deploy observers alongside Republican Senate staff, following the model of a longstanding House of Representatives programme. Schumer said the preparations were intended to help ensure elections remain safe and secure.