West Chester, East Goshen and West Goshen are not identified as destinations in the U.S. Department of Justice's announced election-monitoring plan for Tuesday, Nov. 3. Chester County is absent from the department's published Pennsylvania list.
The DOJ announcement names four Pennsylvania counties: Philadelphia, Allegheny, Luzerne and Lehigh. It says approximately 1,000 monitors and observers are being deployed across all 50 states for the first time, in what the department describes as its largest monitoring effort.
What that means for West Chester and Goshen voters
The announcement lists jurisdictions rather than individual polling places. It does not provide a schedule of visits or explain why Chester County was omitted. No local assignment is identified in that published plan.
Voters may still encounter other people observing the election. Pennsylvania allows candidates and political parties to appoint credentialed poll watchers, who must be registered voters in the county where they serve. Those watchers operate under state rules and are separate from the DOJ monitoring program.
What federal monitors can do in Pennsylvania
The DOJ says its monitors assess compliance with federal voting rights laws, including protections against discrimination and intimidation and requirements for access for voters with disabilities. The Civil Rights Division coordinates the national effort, drawing on DOJ personnel, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.
Pennsylvania officials say DOJ staff monitors have no greater access to polling places than members of the public. Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Jonathan Marks told counties that they may not enter restricted areas, inspect voting equipment or demand election records, Spotlight PA and Votebeat reported.
A Department of State spokesperson told those outlets that the restricted area includes the space within the 10-foot buffer at a polling-place entrance, meaning DOJ staff monitors cannot enter the polling place during voting. These restrictions should not be confused with the separate access rules for credentialed party poll watchers.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt urged monitors to coordinate with county election offices and avoid disrupting voting, according to WVIA and WESA reporting. A DOJ letter described their role as observing and taking notes without interfering in the voting process.
Scrutiny of the expanded program
Federal monitoring has taken place under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Philadelphia, Allegheny and Luzerne counties also received monitors in 2024, WVIA reported.
The expanded operation has drawn scrutiny from voting rights groups. In an Oct. 20 letter to officials in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, the ACLU, its Pennsylvania chapter and the Public Interest Law Center raised concerns about monitors' training and qualifications and urged local officials to prevent interference, according to WVIA.
The NAACP separately announced an Oct. 5 lawsuit seeking records about the monitoring plan, saying transparency was needed to protect voting rights.
Where local voters can get help
Pennsylvania polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Voters in line at their assigned polling place by 8 p.m. may vote.
For local questions or polling-place problems, contact the election officials on site or Chester County Voter Services at 610-344-6410. The county website provides election information and polling-place updates.
Federal voting rights complaints can be reported to the DOJ at 1-800-253-3931 or through its civil rights complaint form. The department directs voters to report violence, threats of violence or intimidation immediately to local police by calling 911, then to the DOJ.
