The Committee on House Administration released the 2026 Election Observer Program training on July 15, deploying Congressional staff to election sites nationwide to observe and report factual information in Congressional elections. The program aims to provide first-hand accounts from trained observers during the November election cycle.
“Staff deployed through the House Election Observer Program are our eyes and ears on the ground ensuring the integrity of Congressional elections,” said Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01). “I’m excited for our Committee to launch this training for staff as we gear up for the November election.”
Chair Laurel Lee (FL-15), Chair of the Subcommittee on Elections, said, “As Chair of the Subcommittee on Elections, ensuring the integrity of our elections remains one of my highest priorities. The House Election Observer Program helps promote transparency by providing trained Congressional observers with the opportunity to witness federal election administration firsthand and document the facts. These observations help Congress fulfill its constitutional responsibility to judge the elections of its own Members. I look forward to another successful program this fall and encourage eligible House staff to participate.”
In 2024, over 200 House staff were trained as election observers. That same year, Congress passed the Confirmation of Congressional Observer Access Act (COCOA Act), which provides a statutory citation for the long-running Election Observer Program and ensures that Congressional observers have full access to federal election administration processes.
The House Administration Committee serves as a standing committee in charge of administrative and operational matters in the U.S. House of Representatives, including oversight over federal elections, congressional contests across the nation, Capitol security measures—such as those enhanced after September 11, 2001, and January 6, 2021—and participation in joint committees like those focused on Library and Printing issues; it also played a key role in passing legislation such as the Help America Vote Act in 2002 that allocated more than $3 billion toward voting system improvements, according to its official website.