On Election Day, more than 500 Justice Department staffers will monitor voting in 28 states, down from almost 800 assigned to the same job in 2012.
This has been an especially cantankerous campaign season, with Republican nominee Donald Trump saying the system is "rigged," and could cost him the election. The monitors will be looking for voting rights violations at the polls, including discrimination based on race, disability, and language. "The bedrock of our democracy is the right to vote," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Monday. "The department is deeply committed to the fair and unbiased application of our voting rights laws."
The reduction in monitors is due to the Supreme Court decision in 2013 that struck down a key portion of the Voting Rights Act, limiting the states and jurisdictions where observers were authorized. A hotline will open early Tuesday, with attorneys in the Civil Rights Division fielding calls from voters with complaints and assisting monitors out in the field. "As always, our personnel will perform these duties impartially, with one goal in mind: to see to it that every eligible voter can participate in our elections to the full extent that federal law provides," Lynch said.
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Voters wishing to report disruptions or discrepancies can call the Civil Rights division at 1-800-253-3931; 202-307-2767; or 202-305-0082; send a fax to 202-307-3961 or email to voting.section@usdoj.gov; or visit www.justice.gov/crt/votercomplaint.
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