DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS

Texas Tells DOJ Election Monitors to Stay Away

 

By Sophie Clark 

Newsweek

Nov 2, 2024

 

Texas officials have told the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that federal inspectors are not allowed inside of state polling places.

Jane Nelson, Texas' secretary of state, published a letter on X directed to Jasmyn Richardson, deputy chief of the voting section of the the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, saying: "Texas law is clear: Justice Department monitors are not permitted inside a polling place where ballots are being cast or a central counting station where ballots are being counted."

The announcement came after the DOJ said it would be sending election monitors to 27 states, including in eight counties in Texas: Atascosa, Bexar, Dallas, Frio, Harris, Hays, Palo Pinto and Waller.

Under the Voting Rights Act, the DOJ can send federal observers to monitor places and sites where ballots are counted. However, following the Supreme Court's Shelby decision, states have more control over voting rights within their jurisdiction.

Texas isn't the first state to ban federal poll watchers. DOJ officials were barred from polling places in Missouri and Florida during the 2022 midterms, and in 2024, Arkansas officials told ABC news that DOJ election watchers were also not welcome in their state.

Despite this, the DOJ has said it is sending monitors to four counties in Florida, and to St Louis, Missouri.

The DOJ declined to comment on this story.

Additionally, despite Nelson saying that state law forbids the DOJ from entering polling places, the DOJ did monitor elections in three Texas counties — Dallas, Harris and Waller — in 2022, per the Texas Tribune.

The DOJ is going to both majority Republican and majority Democrat states. For example, it is sending election watchers to eight counties in Massachusetts.

It's unclear why the DOJ will be sending federal watchers to the 86 jurisdictions on the list.

 

Election workers process ballots at the Clark County Election Department on Nov. 10, 2022, in Las Vegas. The DOJ is sending election watchers to 86 counties across the U.S.  

 

The DOJ has been involved in several election cases in 2024, ranging from suing the state of Virginia for removing people from its voter rolls too close to the election, to warning Elon Musk that his cash give-aways "may violate federal law."

Another state that will be receiving election monitors is Ohio, which the DOJ announced on October 15. This monitoring action will occur in Portage County during the early voting period and on election day.

Voters in Portage County had voiced concerns about intimidation. According to the DOJ, voters in the county are worried about surveillance and the collection of their personal information. They are also concerned about threats around the electoral process.

Portage County was in the news earlier in this election cycle after its sheriff, Bruce Zuchowski, posted and then deleted a message to his Facebook page about tracking down voters with Kamala Harris signs in their yard.

The Portage County Board of Elections told Newsweek: "The Portage County Board of Elections is committed to providing free, fair, and transparent elections. We welcome the Department of Justice to observe our election process." It added that it had not been told by the DOJ why the county was selected for monitoring.