The red brick and stone front of New Bedford City Hall, home of the city's Election Commission, framed by two black lamp posts
New Bedford City Hall, where the city's Election Commission works. File photo. Photo: LGagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

NEW BEDFORD Developing, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The U.S. Department of Justice no longer plans to send Election Day observers to New Bedford polling places for the Nov. 3 state election, the city's Election Commission said Wednesday.

The Justice Department notified the city on Friday, Oct. 23, that it "no longer intends to send election day observers to New Bedford," the commission said in a statement the city posted on its Facebook page. On Monday, city officials checked again with the Justice Department and with the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office, and both confirmed "that no DOJ monitors will be present at polls in New Bedford for the State Election," the statement said.

The commission said it had "received a number of inquiries recently regarding federal government plans to send election day observers to city polling locations" for the election next Tuesday. It "remains in communication with federal and state election officials and will provide future updates if needed," the statement said.

South Coast 360 will update this story as we learn more.

How it started

Federal attention on New Bedford began in July. In a letter to Election Commissioner Manuel DeBrito, the Justice Department asked for the city's voter lists, saying they "will facilitate identification of voting precincts with [limited-English proficient] voters," The New Bedford Light reported. The department also said it would send monitors to the city's Sept. 1 primary.

Mayor Jon Mitchell refused to hand over the list of registered voters, The Light reported. He told The Light he was "concerned that the Department's inquiry is not designed to determine compliance with the Voting Rights Act, and is rather a pretext for unwarranted federal intrusion into a locally-administered election."

On primary day, the Justice Department said on its Massachusetts election page that it "will send election monitors to New Bedford to monitor operations." The department said the work is part of its effort to make sure state officials "maintain records, prevent illegal voting, and keep elections free and fair," as required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. It posted the same notice for Boston.

What happened at the primary

Two teams of federal monitors visited some New Bedford precincts on Sept. 1, city officials told The Light. Several precinct wardens and Jonathan Darling, the city's public information officer, said four monitors were expected that day, according to The Light.

The warden at Hillside Court, the polling place for Ward 3, Precinct B, told The Light that two monitors took notes, watched the proceedings and asked what help was available for Hispanic voters not proficient in English and for voters with disabilities. They did not interfere with any voters, she said.

Voting Nov. 3

Polls in New Bedford are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. The Election Commission's office is at City Hall, 133 William St., Room 114. Voters with questions about their polling place or registration can call the commission at 508-979-1420 or email Elections@newbedford-ma.gov.

Our Election Day voting rights guide covers ID, help in the voting booth, provisional ballots and time off to vote. Two South End precincts also have new polling places this year.

What we know

  • The change: the Justice Department told New Bedford on Oct. 23 that it no longer intends to send Election Day observers, the Election Commission said.
  • Confirmed: on Monday, Oct. 26, city officials reconfirmed with the Justice Department and the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office that no federal monitors will be at New Bedford polls Nov. 3, the commission said.
  • Next: the commission said it will give updates if needed.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

The news comes from the New Bedford Election Commission's statement, which the city posted on its Facebook page on Oct. 28 and which we read in full that afternoon. The Justice Department's Sept. 1 notice comes from its own Massachusetts election page, read Oct. 28. The July letter, the mayor's refusal and statement, and the account of primary day come from The New Bedford Light, credited where they appear. Poll hours and the commission's contacts come from its city web page. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Oct. 23 is a Friday, Oct. 26 a Monday, Oct. 28 a Wednesday, and Sept. 1 and Nov. 3 are Tuesdays.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (5)
  1. City of New Bedford, Facebook post: Election Commission statement on federal Election Day observersPosted Oct. 28, 2026, early afternoon. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
  2. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: Election Integrity, MassachusettsEntry dated Sept. 1, 2026: "DOJ Will Send Election Monitors to New Bedford to Ensure Federal Law Compliance"; same entry for Boston. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
  3. The New Bedford Light: Federal election monitors watched New Bedford polls. The monitors were being monitored, too.Published Sept. 1, 2026. The DOJ letter to the election commissioner, the mayor's refusal and his statement, the primary day monitors and the Hillside Court warden's account. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
  4. The New Bedford Light: New Bedford, state reps question Justice Dept. motives for voter list requestPublished July 13, 2026. The July DOJ letter, the voter list request and the plan for primary monitors. Read Oct. 28, 2026.
  5. New Bedford Election Commission (city web page)Office location, phone, email and poll hours. Read Oct. 17 and 18, 2026.