DOJ sends federal election watchers to California and New Jersey counties amid Republican requests

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) on Friday said it plans to send federal election watchers to California and New Jersey for their closely watched elections next month.

California has a ballot measure aimed at redrawing the state's congressional map in favor of Democrats to counter states like Texas that has redrawn its map to help Republicans.

The Republican parties in both states requested federal observers.

The state GOP alleged a "long and sordid history" of vote-by-mail fraud.

Democrats in both states have pushed back against the decision though.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin called the move "highly inappropriate" and said the DOJ "has not even attempted to identify a legitimate basis for its actions."

Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan said election observers are standard practice across the country and that the county, with 5.8 million registered voters, is continuously updating and verifying its voter records.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.