US Justice Department sends monitors to polling sites in 4 Michigan cities

The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it is deploying monitors to polling sites in four Michigan cities as the state holds a high-stakes primary election featuring an open governor's race and a competitive US Senate contest.

The agency, through its Civil Rights Division, said it is monitoring polls in Detroit, Hamtramck, Lansing and East Lansing with staff from the Civil Rights Division's Voting Section and Michigan's US Attorney's Offices for the Western and Eastern districts.

"Our primary monitoring efforts continue today as we seek to ensure free and fair elections nationwide," said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. "The Department of Justice is devoting extensive resources to ensure uniform and nondiscriminatory monitoring.”

Tuesday's Michigan vote is dominated by a Democratic Senate primary between Rep. Haley Stevens, a centrist backed by party leaders, and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive former public health official.

Michigan is also holding closely watched Democratic House primaries, including in the 12th Congressional District, where Rep. Rashida Tlaib is seeking renomination in Dearborn, a city with one of the largest Arab American populations in the country.

The Michigan primary will also decide nominees for an open governor's race, with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson leading Democrats and Rep. John James facing Perry Johnson for Republicans, as term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cannot seek re-election.