The Justice Department will send more than 500 election monitors to polling places in 28 states on Election Day.
The election monitors will help enforce federal voting rights laws in 67 jurisdictions nationwide, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said Monday.
“The department is deeply committed to the fair and unbiased application of our voting rights laws and we will work tirelessly to ensure that every eligible person that wants to do so is able to cast a ballot,” said Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a statement.
Tuesday will see the first presidential election in more than 50 years in which the federal government cannot mandate observers and monitors inside polling stations. The change comes after the 2013 Supreme Court ruling in the Shelby decision which struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act.
However, according to Vanita Gupta, the acting assistant attorney general for civil rights, this year’s monitors will still be able to do most of what they did during the 2012 election.
“In most cases, voters on the ground will see very little practical difference between monitors and observers,” Gupta said. “We work closely and cooperatively with jurisdictions around the country to ensure that trained personnel are able to keep an eye on the proceedings from an immediate vantage point.”
Most of the jurisdictions that will be watched are in Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Pennsylvania.
The DOJ encourages voters to report any issues at polling places to election officials or local law enforcement authorities, then to the agency. Staff members will be taking reported issues on a toll-free hotline, 1-800-253-3931, and by email at [email protected].
