House Republicans are deploying “dozens and dozens” of staff across the country next Tuesday to ensure the midterm elections are being run cleanly and fairly as both parties fight tooth and nail for control of Congress.
The Committee on House Administration, which has jurisdiction over federal elections, runs an annual election watcher program aimed at adding oversight in districts where races are anticipated to be particularly close, and in some cases, paving the way for legal challenges if improprieties are found.
Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., the panel’s chairman, told Fox News Digital that this year’s program will be “the most robust program the House has ever done.”
“We’re building on the success that we had last cycle and recognizing that a large number of House races are likely to be close,” Steil said. “The balance of power in the United States House of Representatives is at stake, and we wanna make sure that we have eyes and ears on the ground in close races across the country.”
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How that plays out will vary from state to state depending on varying election laws, he explained. But many of those observers are potentially in for lengthy shifts.
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“Some jurisdictions that run their elections well, like Florida, their shift may end early in the evening. States that have kind of poor election policies, like California, those shifts go on for days on end until the counting is done,” Steil said.
“Two years ago, I went to Los Angeles County — about 10 million people — counts all their ballots at one location. And of course, we know California has bad election policy. They allow ballots to arrive after the polls have closed. And so I went to Central Count, met with our election observers as we watched ballots arrive days after the election. We want eyes and ears on the ground, recording what is occurring, and documenting what’s happening, and making sure that the rules are followed.”
Steil also recalled an instance in Milwaukee where an issue arose during tabulation “where ultimately thousands of ballots would have to be recounted.”
But those poll watchers, trained under the jurisdiction of Congress, will often stay the entire time votes are being cast on Election Day. In some cases, they observe votes being counted as well.
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“These are long days. I mean, polling locations are often open for a full 12 hours. They’re arriving, they’re staying often until the early evening or late evening, in some cases as the ballots are actually tabulated, but they play an absolutely essential role in verifying… our elections are run freely and fairly,” he said.
It is all part of a process to build a case in the event the results need to be re-examined. Their documentation could potentially lead to recounts in close races or even lawsuits.
“Not only are they documenting what they’re seeing, but they’re in direct contact with myself and the committee on Election Day, so that we’re in a position to deploy additional resources, if necessary, to make any court challenges if that was required,” Steil explained. “They are the first step in identifying if there is a problem, and then they notify our team and we get to work immediately.”
Election observers’ jobs are federally protected under the Confirmation of Congressional Observer Access Act, which was enacted by Congress in 2024. The program is open to any staffer of the House of Representatives, save for interns.
Democrats are free to run their own program under the law, but they do not do so in coordination with Republicans.
