DOJ To Monitor Polls in 24 States

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Press Release from the U.S. Department of Justice:

Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, November 7, 2022

Justice Department to Monitor Polls in 24 States for Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws

The Justice Department announced today its plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 64 jurisdictions in 24 states for the Nov. 8, 2022 general election. Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Division has regularly monitored elections in the field in jurisdictions around the country to protect the rights of voters. The Civil Rights Division will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center. The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot.

For the general election, the Civil Rights Division will monitor for compliance with the federal voting rights laws on Election Day and/or in early voting in 64 jurisdictions:

  • City of Bethel, Alaska;
  • Dillingham Census Area, Alaska;
  • Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska;
  • Sitka City-Borough, Alaska;
  • Maricopa County, Arizona;
  • Navajo County, Arizona;
  • Pima County, Arizona;
  • Pinal County, Arizona;
  • Yavapai County, Arizona;
  • Newton County, Arkansas;
  • Los Angeles County, California;
  • Sonoma County, California;
  • Broward County, Florida;
  • Miami-Dade County, Florida;
  • Palm Beach County, Florida;
  • Cobb County, Georgia;
  • Fulton County, Georgia;
  • Gwinnett County, Georgia;
  • Town of Clinton, Massachusetts;
  • City of Everett, Massachusetts;
  • City of Fitchburg, Massachusetts;
  • City of Leominster, Massachusetts;
  • City of Malden, Massachusetts;
  • City of Methuen, Massachusetts;
  • City of Randolph, Massachusetts;
  • City of Salem, Massachusetts;
  • Prince George’s County, Maryland;
  • City of Detroit, Michigan;
  • City of Flint, Michigan;
  • City of Grand Rapids, Michigan;
  • City of Pontiac, Michigan;
  • City of Southfield, Michigan;
  • City of Minneapolis, Minnesota;
  • Hennepin County, Minnesota;
  • Ramsey County, Minnesota;
  • Cole County, Missouri;
  • Alamance County, North Carolina;
  • Columbus County, North Carolina;
  • Harnett County, North Carolina;
  • Mecklenburg County, North Carolina;
  • Wayne County, North Carolina;
  • Middlesex County, New Jersey;
  • Bernalillo County, New Mexico;
  • San Juan County, New Mexico;
  • Clark County, Nevada;
  • Washoe County, Nevada;
  • Queens County, New York;
  • Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
  • Berks County, Pennsylvania;
  • Centre County, Pennsylvania;
  • Lehigh County, Pennsylvania;
  • Luzerne County, Pennsylvania;
  • Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania;
  • City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island;
  • Horry County, South Carolina;
  • Dallas County, Texas;
  • Harris County, Texas;
  • Waller County, Texas;
  • San Juan County, Utah;
  • City of Manassas, Virginia;
  • City of Manassas Park, Virginia;
  • Prince William County, Virginia;
  • City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and,
  • City of Racine, Wisconsin.

Monitors will include personnel from the Civil Rights Division and from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. In addition, the division also deploys monitors from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. Division personnel will also maintain contact with state and local election officials.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Acts. The division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. The division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion.

On Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available all day to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by telephone toll-free at 800-253-3931.

Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website, at https://www.ada.gov/.

Complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials (including officials in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted.

The Justice Department recently announced its overall plans for the general election to protect the right to vote and secure the integrity of the voting process through the work of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

More information about the federal civil rights laws is available on the Civil Rights Division’s website at https://www.justice.gov/crt.

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The Arizona Mirrror reports, The Department of Justice will be monitoring polling places in Arizona:

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that it will be sending personnel to monitor the polls in five counties in Arizona and 23 other states as voter intimidation complaints reach double digits in the state.

The DOJ Civil Rights Division will monitor polling locations in Maricopa, Navajo, Pima, Pinal and Yavapai counties on Election Day to ensure compliance with the federal voting rights laws, the agency said.

The DOJ will also be in contact with county and state election officials. The feds can oversee prosecutions of voter intimidation and voter suppression and members of the DOJ Civil Rights Division will be in Arizona to “receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws” by an online complaint form or via telephone.

Arizona is one of several states where armed groups have been seen watching drop boxes for non-existent voter fraud leading to an increase in cases being submitted to the DOJ of voter intimidation by the Secretary of State’s Office.

The increased attention to ballot drop boxes is being fueled by the debunked film “2000 Mules,” in which conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza alleged that supposed “ballot mules” were tracked by using cell phone geolocation data. The film alleges the people were paid to stuff ballot boxes with completed ballots, but provides no actual evidence such a thing happened.

The practice of submitting a ballot completed by another person, pejoratively referred to as “ballot harvesting,” is illegal in Arizona, though there are exceptions for delivering ballots of family members.

A temporary restraining order was issued last week barring anyone from the QAnon-linked group Clean Elections USA from training or encouraging others to intentionally come within 75 feet of a drop box or a building where a drop box is held. It also bars anyone associated with them from following voters from a drop box or verbally engaging with them as well as filming or posting photos of those dropping off ballots.

But the restraining order doesn’t stop anyone not associated with Clean Elections USA, which has now changed its name to Dropbox Initiative after a lawsuit by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission.

The DOJ has suggested that anyone with complaints related to disruption at a polling place should first report the disruption to their local election official including the officials at the polling place. Complaints regarding violence should be reported to the local police or by calling 911 and then to the DOJ afterwards.

The toll-free number for the DOJ voter hotline for the Civil Rights Division is 800-253-3931 and for complaints associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act, voters should call 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint to the ADA website.

UPDATE: