San Diego County Manages Election Amid Federal Monitoring

San Diego County is conducting the November 3, 2026, general election, featuring a race for governor of California and a statewide measure to tax billionaires. Shawn Brom, the San Diego County Registrar, announced that the office expects at least eight teams of federal election monitors at local polling places. This deployment follows a national increase in federal monitoring and a corresponding mobilization of poll watchers by the Democratic Party and voting rights organizations.

Brom stated that contingencies are in place to ensure observers do not interfere with the rights of voters. These measures come after the Trump administration challenged California election officials over alleged noncitizen voting, though judges have since rejected those lawsuits.

Security concerns disrupted preparations immediately preceding Election Day. On November 2, the San Diego Registrar of Voters office was evacuated for approximately two and a half hours after a suspicious suitcase was found in the lobby, triggering a suspected bomb threat. Operations resumed shortly after the building was cleared.