DOJ Election Monitor Request — San Diego County
August 20, 2026
Jesus A. Osete
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Civil Rights Division
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20530
RE: Request for Election Monitor Deployment — San Diego County, California, November 2026 General Election
Dear Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Osete:
On behalf of the Republican Party of San Diego County, California Women's Leadership Association, and San Diego Asian Americans For Equality, we write to respectfully request that the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice deploy federal election staff monitors to oversee the administration of the November 2026 General Election in San Diego County, California scheduled for November 3rd, 2026.
We bring to your attention the following specific concerns regarding election administration in this jurisdiction that warrant federal oversight: California's 2021 law (AB 37) made universal mail balloting permanent, requiring county elections officials — including San Diego's — to automatically mail a ballot to every active registered voter for every election, rather than only to those who request one (California Secretary of State / Gov. Newsom's Office, 2021).[1] California's 2016 ballot-harvesting law (AB 1921) removed prior restrictions limiting who could collect and return another voter's mail ballot, now permitting any designated person — including paid campaign workers — to gather and deliver an unlimited number of ballots, subject only to a rule against per-ballot compensation (California Legislative Counsel/AB 1921 bill text, 2016).[2] California law allows mail ballots to be counted up to seven days after Election Day as long as they carry a postmark from Election Day or earlier, a receipt window the U.S. Supreme Court upheld against challenge in Watson v. RNC (California Attorney General's Office, 2026).[3]
These concerns implicate compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. Additionally, there are concerns that implicate compliance with federal retention requirements under 52 USC 20701.
The presence of Civil Rights Division monitors would serve both to protect the voting rights of all eligible citizens and to ensure that election administration in this jurisdiction meets the standards required by federal law. The deployment of monitors would also promote public confidence in the integrity of the election process and help deter potential violations before they occur.
We would welcome the opportunity to provide additional documentation, data, or briefings to your staff in support of this request. Please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned at your earliest convenience to discuss the concerns outlined herein.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for the Division's continued commitment to the faithful enforcement of federal voting rights laws.
Respectfully submitted,
Paula Whitsell
Chairwoman
Republican Party of San Diego County
PO Box 601310
San Diego, CA 92160
(858) 450-4600
chairwoman@sandiegorepublicans.org
Patricia Freitag
President
California Women's Leadership Association
(910) 787-6454
Frank Xu
President
San Diego Asian Americans For Equality
(858) 699-1693
References
1. Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. (2021, September 27). Governor Newsom signs landmark elections legislation making vote-by-mail ballots permanent for every registered voter.
2. California Legislative Information. (2016). AB-1921 Elections: vote by mail ballots.
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB1921
3. California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General. (2026). Attorney General Bonta: U.S. Supreme Court decision affirms state authority over mail ballot deadlines.