Three Texas counties will get extra scrutiny from the federal government during Election Day, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

Harris, Tarrant and Waller counties will be among 35 communities nationwide subject to federal monitoring for possible violations of the Voting Rights Act. Employees with the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division will ensure all voters are given equal access to the polls, regardless of race, language or disability.

"This year we are using every lawful tool that we have, both civil and criminal, to protect the rights of millions of Americans to cast their votes unimpeded at one of more than 170,000 precincts across America," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions in statement.

Harris and Waller counties were both subject to federal scrutiny during the 2016 election as well.

The announcement by the Justice Department was a stark shift from a similar effort in 2016. The department is subjecting half as many counties to the oversight in 2018, only 35 counties compared to 67 in 2016. The federal government is monitoring compliance in 19 states in 2018 compared to 28 in 2016.

President Trump sent out a tweet Monday morning emphasizing law enforcement's focus on voter fraud.

"Law Enforcement has been strongly notified to watch closely for any ILLEGAL VOTING which may take place in Tuesday's Election (or Early Voting). Anyone caught will be subject to the Maximum Criminal Penalties allowed by law. Thank you," Trump tweeted.

Sessions also brought up voter fraud as a concern in his statement. The previous Attorney General Loretta Lynch did not talk about voter fraud in her comments about federal monitoring in 2016.

"Likewise, fraud in the voting process will not be tolerated. Fraud also corrupts the integrity of the ballot," Sessions said.

There's little evidence that voter fraud is a major issue in U.S. elections. An analysis by News21 in 2012 found 2,068 alleged-election fraud cases between 2000 and 2012 out of millions of ballots cast.

On Election Day, Justice Department staffers will be available to receive and respond to complaints about violations of federal voting rights laws. Complaints can be made via phone at 1-800-253-3931, via fax at 202-307-3961 or email at voting.section@usdoj.gov.

Voters can also file a complaint at www.justice.gov/crt/votercomplaint.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Election Day.