NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia Beach’s Electoral Board voted unanimously Friday to deny all neutral observers access inside of polling locations.

The three-person board had received requests from both the U.S. Department of Justice and the NAACP.

But both the DOJ and the NAACP observers will be allowed outside of polling locations, as long as they stay beyond 40 feet like any other group, said Nanette Miller, the board’s chair.

The DOJ had requested to send monitors to polling locations in four Virginia localities: Virginia Beach, Fairfax County, Charlottesville and Prince William County. Prince William’s registrar already denied the DOJ’s request, but the feds said in a statement that they don’t need the approval, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

Miller said it would have been “unfair” to allow the NAACP to observe and deny the DOJ’s request.

“It would be extremely inappropriate to say the DOJ could not come, which is clearly an independent federal agency, but allow an entity that clearly has its own … interest and reasons for coming in,” Miller said in a news conference following the vote.

She added the requests for neutral observers has greatly complicated the election process, and said the board would likely need to review the city’s process for neutral observers to make it more efficient for the entity that wants to observe and for election officials.

Miller, who has been on the board for four years, said she’s not aware of any previous request by either the DOJ or NAACP to have neutral observers in Virginia Beach.

Tuesday’s midterm elections will determine which political party will hold control of Congress. Republicans are the majority in the House and Senate, but backlash against the party in power is typical during the midterms and polling predicts Democrats stand to flip seats, including in Hampton Roads.

The Trump administration is planning to send more than 1,000 election monitors to poll locations across the country, which would be hundreds more than used in 2024 under President Joe Biden, according to CNN. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the DOJ’s civil rights division, described this effort as the “biggest DOJ election observer effort in history.”

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones earlier this month released 10 pages of guidance for election officials on the rules surrounding election monitors citing “heightened public concern regarding potential interference” by “disruptive monitors … who operate outside of standard established procedure.” He also noted concerns have been raised about the DOJ deploying armed federal agents to polling locations and seizing sensitive election materials.

Prior to the Electoral Board’s vote, three people spoke to raise concerns about the DOJ’s request.

Venkat Eleswarapu, who said he’s a U.S. citizen and has already voted, was concerned DOJ observers would ask people of color for proof of citizenship before voting on Election Day.

“I believe they’re going to look for ‘illegal voters.’ Where on my forehead does it say I’m a legal voter?” Eleswarapu asked. “Will everybody else have to show their passport, or is it only for brown-skinned people?”

Bernita Richardson, secretary of the Virginia Beach NAACP, said she’s concerned about a potential chilling effect if uniformed law enforcement are outside polling stations. Miller said DOJ observers planned to be in civilian clothes.

“I don’t have a problem with ICE doing their job, or the Department of Justice doing their job, but the question is what is the goal of coming and being in these situations?” Richardson asked. “Polling places really belong to the people.”

Early voting ends Saturday. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Visit www.elections.virginia.gov for more information.

—Devlin Epding contributed to this report.

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