Federal election monitors are stationed at San Diego County polling places on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Carlsbad's seven vote centers are open.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is sending monitors to all 50 states in what ABC7 called a first-ever deployment. In California, the monitored counties are Los Angeles, Alameda, Sacramento and San Diego. A DOJ press release cited in social media posts put the total at approximately 1,000 monitors nationwide. Exact locations have not been disclosed.

San Diego County Registrar of Voters Shawn Brom said he expects at least eight federal teams to monitor local polling places, according to KPBS. Brom said his office has contingency plans if any observer tries to overstep.

"We just want to make sure that regardless of the number of election observers that are at any specific location is that they're not interfering with the voters' right to cast a ballot free from any intimidation or harassment," Brom said.

Under California law, poll watchers are not allowed to talk to voters or otherwise interfere in the voting process, KPBS reported.

The federal monitors arrive alongside a separate wave of partisan poll watchers. The Associated Press reported that the Democratic Party and voting rights organizations have been mobilizing their own observers in response to the federal effort, according to KPBS. PBS News described the surge in federal monitors as unprecedented, KPBS reported.

Carlsbad vote centers

San Diego County has more than 200 in-person voting locations open on Nov. 3. All vote centers and the Registrar of Voters office are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can register and vote the same day.

Carlsbad has seven vote centers, according to The Coast News:

  • Magnolia Elementary School, 1905 Magnolia Ave.
  • Pine Avenue Community Center, 3209 Harding St.
  • Alga Norte Community Park, 6565 Alicante Road
  • Leucadia Wastewater District, 1960 La Costa Ave.
  • Stagecoach Community Center, 3420 Camino de los Coches
  • Calavera Community Park, 2997 Glasgow Drive
  • Hope Elementary School, 3010 Tamarack Ave.

Voters may use any vote center in San Diego County regardless of where they live. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3, and the Registrar of Voters must receive them no later than seven days after Election Day.