The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced it is deploying more than 500 personnel to monitor Election Day polls in 28 states, including three counties in Texas.
State and local governments are responsible for administering elections but the DOJ says its Civil Rights Division is “charged with enforcing the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot on Election Day.”
The Civil Rights Division of the DOJ announced it will be “on the ground in 67 jurisdictions for compliance with the federal voting rights laws.” The statement from the Department does not disclose how these jurisdictions were selected.
In a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, “The bedrock of our democracy is the right to vote, and the Department of Justice works tirelessly to uphold that right not only on Election Day, but every day.”
In Texas, Dallas and Harris Counties will be monitored, as well as nearby Waller County. Waller County was the jurisdiction where Sandra Bland was arrested and taken to jail. Her case became national news after she committed suicide in the jail.
In California, Napa, Siskiyou, and Alameda counties will have a DOJ presence. Five will be monitored in Florida, to include Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach Counties.
In Ohio, Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton counties have been selected, as have Kings, Orange, and Queens Counties in New York.
Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and South Dakota, have three counties named, and there are two in Arizona–Maricopa and Navajo.
In Illinois, Cook County will have DOJ personnel on site.
Connecticut has the most counties targeted at seven, whereas North Carolina can expect monitors present in five.
A complete listing of jurisdictions named to be monitored can be found at this link on the Department of Justice website.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said her staff would be manning phone lines on Tuesday, November 8, “to enforce federal statutes related to voting.” The DOJ says it has been regularly monitoring elections since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of of 1965. Lawyers in the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section will staff the Election Day hotline starting early in the morning.
Lynch said that federal voting statutes are enforced by the Department in many ways, “including filing our own litigation when the facts warrant, submitting statements of interest in private lawsuits to help explain our understanding of these laws, and providing guidance to election officials and the general public about what these laws mean and what they require.” U.S. Attorneys in 94 offices across the nation handle questions regarding election irregularities.
Complaints may be directed to any of the local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the local FBI offices or the Public Integrity Section at 202-514-1412. A list of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and their telephone numbers can be found at www.justice.gov/usao/find-your-united-states-attorney. A list of FBI offices and accompanying telephone numbers can be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us.
Complaints at local polling sites should be immediately reported to local election officials, including officials at the particular polling place.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2.