An predetermination idiosyncratic walks done voting booths to assistance arsenic radical ballot astatine a polling spot June 14, 2022, successful Las Vegas. | John Locher/AP Photo
The Justice Department is expanding in-person monitoring of polling places for Tuesday’s midterms to areas successful astir fractional of U.S. states, DOJ officials said Monday.
Federal monitors looking for imaginable civilian rights violations and elector intimidation volition instrumentality retired to 64 jurisdictions successful 24 states, a marked summation from the statesmanlike predetermination 2 years agone erstwhile DOJ sent monitors to 44 jurisdictions successful 18 states.
Alaska, Arkansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island and Utah didn’t marque the Justice Department’s database successful 2020, but are connected it this year. Chicago and Cook County, Ill. were monitored by the feds 2 years ago, but nary locations successful Illinois are connected this year’s roster.
The Justice Department appears to beryllium incrementally stepping up its attraction this twelvemonth successful states that person seen peculiar hostility astir ballot driblet boxes.
In Arizona, wherever incidents of equipped men stationed adjacent ballot boxes led to a restraining bid against specified activities by immoderate groups, the Justice Department is expanding election-day scrutiny to 5 counties from 3 2 years ago. Among the caller additions is Pima County, the state’s 2nd astir populous.
In Texas, wherever ballot driblet boxes led to galore tribunal challenges successful 2020, national authorities added Dallas County to the monitoring list, joining Houston-based Harris County and agrarian Waller County.
While the fig of states and jurisdictions being scrutinized by national monitors is up from some the 2018 midterms and the 2020 statesmanlike year, DOJ seems to person formed its nett much broadly successful the 2016 statesmanlike year, erstwhile 67 jurisdictions successful 28 states were monitored.
Regular national monitoring of elections has taken spot since the transition of the Voting Rights Act successful 1965. Monitors are drawn from Justice’s Civil Rights Division and section U.S. Attorney’s offices, supplemented by employees from different national agencies.
English (US)