Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office is responding to a report that the U.S. Department of Justice is planning to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month following requests from the states’ Republican parties.

Newsom, in August, signed a bill calling for a Nov. 4 special election that will let Californians decide whether lawmakers should temporarily take control of drawing the state’s congressional maps, which would heavily favor Democrats.

The DOJ was expected to announce on Friday that it plans to monitor polling sites in southern and central California counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside, and Fresno. They plan to do the same in Passaic County, New Jersey, according to the Associated Press.

The goal, according to the DOJ, is “to ensure

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