Marion County to Get 12 Federal Monitors Across 180+ Voting Sites

The Marion County Election Board held a call with U.S. Department of Justice officials Wednesday to detail a plan that puts 12 federal monitors, working in six teams of two, across the county's more than 180 voting centers on Election Day, Nov. 3. Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell said the deployment covers disability access, provisional ballot use and compliance with language assistance laws.

Sweeney Bell, a Democrat, said the monitors will not enter voting sites and voters are not required to speak with them. "Nothing is going to change for the voters," Sweeney Bell said. She added that the DOJ told her the monitors are not there to intimidate anyone. "They do not have the right, nor does anyone have the right, to harass or intimidate or coerce a voter," Sweeney Bell said. "And they have indicated to us that is not the reason they're here."

The announcement drew support from Republicans after poll workers applauded Democratic Secretary of State candidate Beau Bayh as he cast his ballot in Marion County on Tuesday. "Just another reason why we need election monitors in Marion County," Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Attorney General Todd Rokita posted on X in response to a photo published by Indiana Capital Chronicle. "Why can't they just be professional?"

Indiana's electioneering law bars verbal or written statements supporting or opposing candidates, political parties and public questions inside a voting site. Sweeney Bell said a staff member spoke with poll workers about their conduct but declined to say whether it crossed the line into electioneering, since the matter may go before the Marion County Election Board.

Libertarian Secretary of State candidate Lauri Shillings said in a statement that she has seen poll workers applaud first-time voters and candidates before. "If this occurred, hopefully it was a general applause for our democracy at work rather than any kind of show of bias," Shillings said.

The campaigns for Bayh and Lincoln Party candidate Greg Ballard declined to comment. Republican Max Engling did not respond to Indiana's I-Team before publication. Marion County Republican Chair Natalie Goodwin said in a statement that the behavior seen at polling places does not reflect the environment Republicans want voters to experience. "The priority should be non-partisan, making sure every voter feels comfortable and respected while casting their ballot," Goodwin said.

About 1,000 federal monitors will be deployed across counties in all 50 states "doing the routine election monitoring the department has done for decades," a DOJ spokesperson emailed Indiana's I-Team. Sweeney Bell said she expects a smooth Election Day and that the DOJ will communicate with her office Nov. 3 so poll workers can identify monitors. "It seemed like they were frustrated a little bit," Sweeney Bell said. "This is something that has been assigned to them, is what I took from it."