Hennepin County Says It Denied a DOJ Request to Send Staff Into Polling Places for the Aug. 11 Primary; DOJ Monitors to Stay Outside a 100-Foot Boundary

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office distributed a release on 08/10/2026 (the release date; the request it describes came earlier) saying the Justice Department had asked Hennepin County, “Last week,” to approve DOJ staff to access and monitor polling places for the Aug. 11 primary. The release says “Hennepin County denied the request” after consultation with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office and others, and that “DOJ has since committed to abide by the County’s decision.”

Per the release, DOJ monitors will stay outside a 100-foot boundary, “in compliance with Minnesota law.” It describes the monitors as expected to be DOJ staff in plainclothes who may try to interview voters as they leave, and says “Participation in these interviews is entirely voluntary.” It lists “Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, and Brooklyn Center” as DOJ’s stated focus, and quotes County Attorney Mary Moriarty that reports of threats, harassment or intimidation directed at voters or election workers “will be reviewed and, if appropriate, prosecuted.”

This is the county’s account, published by the county. The release gives no calendar date for the request, only “Last week.” We found no Department statement on the exchange. The release names no legal authority for the request and does not tie the county’s decision to any statute. Scale and authority questions are taken up in 2026-08-17–dhillon-plans-1000-doj-monitors-midterm-general-election-cbs-bloomberg and 2026-10-02–naacp-sues-dhillon-foia-mandamus-doj-election-monitor-legal-authority-dcd-26-cv-03461.