Justice Department starts telling counties it will monitor their elections on Nov. 3
NPR's scoop on which counties have been told so far, how this year's plan compares with 2022, and why some local officials are uneasy.
The Justice Department began notifying counties this week that it plans to send monitors on Election Day, NPR reports; counties in Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Texas and Washington have been told so far. Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon said last month the department would send 1,000 observers nationwide, which she called the largest monitoring effort in its history. In the last midterm year, 2022, the department monitored 64 jurisdictions in 24 states. A DOJ spokesperson said details will be shared closer to the election and that the department prioritizes places with competitive elections.
Officials in three states told NPR they were not initially notified alongside their counties, as in past cycles; after NPR asked the department, several said they then received notice. In Colorado, Adams County's Democratic clerk said he suspected political motives because the neighboring Republican-run county that shares a toss-up district was not contacted. Wyoming's Republican governor had raised concerns about monitors' behavior in the August primary, which the DOJ disputes.
Reporting
NPR ↗Across the spectrum 2
Democrat
Josh Zygielbaum, Democratic clerk of Adams County, Colo.: Zygielbaum told NPR: "My initial thought is that it's politically motivated, and that this is potentially an intimidation technique," adding that the administration has shown "its disdain for elections, particularly in states and counties where mail ballots exist."
NPR ↗Republican
Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division: As reported by NPR, Dhillon said last month the department planned to send 1,000 observers nationwide, in what she termed "the largest monitoring effort" in DOJ history.
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