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Politics

DOJ to deploy poll monitors as midterms approach amid mail-voting concerns

Federal authorities and civil rights groups prepare oversight efforts as early midterm voting begins and litigation over mail-in ballot rules continues.

The short version

  • The Justice Department plans to dispatch 1,000 poll monitors across the country for the upcoming midterm elections.
  • Advocacy and civil rights organizations are training community volunteers to assist voters at polling locations as early ballots begin going out.
  • A whistleblower claim raised concerns that the Postal Service could discard ballots while enacting disputed mail-voting rules currently challenged in court.

Key facts

  • The U.S. Department of Justice intends to send 1,000 monitors to polling locations during the midterm election.[The Washington Post]
  • A coalition of civil rights and advocacy organizations is preparing community members to greet and assist voters at polling sites.[The Washington Post]
  • A whistleblower alleged that the U.S. Postal Service could potentially discard thousands of mail-in ballots while enforcing contested voting restrictions currently in litigation.[The Washington Post]

What remains uncertain

  • The potential impact of the whistleblower's claims regarding Postal Service handling of mail-in ballots remains unresolved amid ongoing court challenges over voting rules.[The Washington Post]

Sources