DOJ to monitor polls in 4 Arizona counties, including Maricopa, on Election Day
Nov 4, 2024, 9:00 AM | Updated: 10:09 am
Ballot drop off instructions are displayed near the entrance of the Maricopa County Elections Department in Phoenix ahead of Election Day. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – The U.S. Department of Justice will monitor the polls in four Arizona counties for compliance with federal voting rights laws on Election Day, officials announced Friday.
Apache, Maricopa, Pima and Yuma counties are among 86 jurisdictions across 27 states to be monitored by the Justice Department on Tuesday. Officials didn’t say why the locations were selected.
The list includes one or more jurisdiction in each of the seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
But dozens of the monitored areas are in states where the presidential election isn’t expected to be close, including Alaska, California, Massachusetts, South Dakota and Utah.
DOJ Civil Rights Division coordinates Election Day monitoring
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will coordinate the poll monitoring effort, which will include staff from the DOJ and U.S. Attorney’s Offices along with federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.
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The Civil Rights Division is tasked with enforcing laws that protect citizens’ right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act and Civil Rights Acts.
Complaints related to federal voting rights laws can be filed through the Civil Rights Division online or at 800-253-3931.
Officials previously announced that Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Lokey will be in charge of how the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona responds to allegations of voting rights violations, election fraud and threats of violence on Election Day.
Lokey has served as the District of Arizona election officer since the 2020 election cycle.
Members of the public can reach Lokey at 602-514-7516 while the polls are open on Election Day.
The federal plans for protecting voting rights also include having FBI agents ready to field complaints and respond, if needed, on Tuesday. Election fraud and abuse complaints can be made to the FBI Phoenix office at 623-466-1999 or the bureau’s web portal for tips.
If there is an emergency situation, members of the public should call 911.
