Federal election monitors fanned out across Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of the largest monitoring effort in Justice Department history.

The department said it deployed about 1,000 monitors and observers to all 50 states for the first time, according to a DOJ announcement. In California, monitors were assigned to Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and Alameda County.

The deployment landed in L.A. hours after the federal government lost its latest court fight over roughly 20,000 contested California ballots, the Los Angeles Times reported.

What the monitors will do

The DOJ's Civil Rights Division coordinated the effort. Monitors include personnel from the division, other DOJ components, U.S. Attorney's Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

They will check compliance with federal voting rights laws, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act. The department's Disability Rights Section will also monitor polling places for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

A DOJ spokesperson said monitors "will be at polling locations" but that the department is not "giving out precinct details," according to the Times.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said in a statement that the deployment was the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history and that the department was pursuing "transparency for elections" in an "assertive and nondiscriminatory manner."

California pushes back

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on social media: "We'll have our observers on site keeping an eye on your monitors to ensure the integrity of California's free, fair, safe, secure, accurate, and reliable elections."

Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials warned of Trump administration interference in the midterm election, including potentially through attempted ballot seizures, the Times reported.

The deployment drew criticism beyond Sacramento. Eric J. Segall, a law professor at Georgia State University, told the Times: "They're not doing this to make sure that there are free and fair elections."

Voting rights groups including the NAACP said they believe the deployment could suppress turnout and disenfranchise voters, particularly from minority communities, USA Today reported. Some local election officials expressed similar concerns.

The monitors arrived against a backdrop of rapid-fire court rulings.

On Nov. 2, the Supreme Court issued an unsigned decision in California's favor regarding the contested ballots. That evening, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals published and then quickly rescinded a ruling that would have let the administration prosecute election workers who processed those ballots.

By 11 p.m. Nov. 2, the 9th Circuit set aside its earlier ruling and referred the case to a larger panel.

Earlier, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco blocked the DOJ from threatening criminal liability against election workers or demanding voters be stripped from the rolls. Federal prosecutors had issued criminal grand jury subpoenas to three L.A. County election officials, demanding they appear in court the day after the election.

How to report problems

The DOJ said voters with questions or complaints about federal voting rights can call 1-800-253-3931 or email [email protected]. ADA-related complaints can go to 1-800-514-0301. Voters who experience violence or threats at a polling place should call 911 first, then contact the department.