The Justice Department plans to deploy a record 1,000 federal monitors to polling places across the U.S. during the 2026 midterm elections.

The monitors will oversee compliance with federal voting laws and help ensure voters are not discriminated against or intimidated at polling locations.

The planned deployment would exceed the 714 monitors sent to 27 states during the 2024 presidential election and the 289 sent during the 2022 midterms.

The effort comes as the Justice Department faces staffing shortages after more than 70% of career Civil Rights Division employees reportedly left or retired under the Trump administration, CBS News has reported.

The department has already begun deploying monitors for some primary elections, while officials said a full list of locations for the midterms will be released after the primaries conclude.