DOJ sending 1,000 monitors to polling sites across US on Election Day, including in Arizona

The Department of Justice said it is ramping up monitoring at polling locations across the U.S. on Election Day next week, including in Arizona.

A top Maricopa County election official said local voters should not be worried about the monitors.

“We have every reason to believe that this is a good faith effort,” Jennifer Liewer, deputy director for the Maricopa County Elections Department, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Friday.

A DOJ spokesperson told KTAR News in an email that a total of 1,000 monitors will be deployed for “routine election monitoring” in all 50 states Tuesday.

Why is the Justice Department sending election monitors to Arizona?

The spokesperson did not specify which counties, although Maricopa County has been a regular destination for DOJ monitors on Election Day. In July, the department sent monitors to Maricopa, Apache and Pima counties for the primary election.

“All monitors must meet the same legal and ethical requirements, including that they not interfere with the voting process,” the spokesperson said. “Every monitor has the same role: observe for potential violations of federal law and report concerns to the department, which the department will review after Election Day and act where appropriate.”

According to PBS, the Biden administration’s DOJ sent out 388 monitors during the last midterm general election in 2022.

Liewer said voters should not be concerned about the increased number of monitors.

“We have very strict laws in Arizona that prevent people from impeding … the ability of somebody’s right to vote,” Liewer said. “So, honestly, we don’t have those concerns. Obviously, if there’s a large number of folks, it could mean they’re going to many different jurisdictions.”

Where does the DOJ get the authority to monitor voting sites?

The monitors are authorized under the Voting Rights Act, Liewer said.

“This was done many, many years ago during the Civil Rights Movement to make sure that there was no intimidation or prejudice against people who were coming to the vote polls who were legally allowed to vote,” she said.

She said county elections officials want to make sure all voters have the information they need to cast their ballots with confidence on Election Day.

“We’re working with the officials at the Department of Justice to make sure that people are able to cast that vote without any type of intimidation,” she said.

Liewer said there were no issues with the “handful the monitors” in Maricopa County during this year’s primary election. They did things like check to make sure Election Day information was available to voters in Spanish.

“They are able to talk to poll workers when they come into a polling location. They are able to talk to voters,” she said. “So, don’t be concerned if there is somebody who might approach you with the Department of Justice as an observer only.”

The monitors are not allowed to remove anybody from a voting center, Liewer said.

“They have very limited powers once they are in the polling location,” she said.

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