The Department of Justice on Tuesday said it is launching its largest election monitoring effort ever, with approximately 1,000 monitors and observers working in all 50 states. The department said the Civil Rights Division is coordinating the deployment to support free and fair elections and protect the right to vote.
The department said monitors will check compliance with federal voting rights laws. The effort involves staff from the Civil Rights Division and other Justice Department components, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management. The division said personnel will stay in contact with state and local election officials throughout Election Day.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division said the department is deploying “the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history.”
According to the department, the Voting Section enforces civil provisions that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and the Civil Rights Acts. The Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure that people with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. The Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin, or religion.
The department listed jurisdictions where it intends to monitor or observe across all states. The Civil Rights Division said personnel will be available to receive questions and complaints related to federal voting rights laws throughout the day and week. The department provided an election issues hotline at 1-800-253-3931, an email address at VEM@usdoj.gov, and an online complaint form at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report. For Americans with Disabilities Act issues, the department listed 1-800-514-0301 and 1-833-610-1264 (TTY) and the complaint portal at www.ada.gov.
The department said disruptions at polling places should be reported to local election officials. Complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation should be reported immediately to local police by calling 911 and also to the department after local authorities have been contacted.
More information on the department’s election integrity work is available at www.civilrights.justice.gov/electionintegrity, the department said.