"The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to California and New Jersey next month, targeting two Democratic states holding off-year elections following requests from state Republican parties. The department announced it was planning to monitor polling sites in Passaic county, New Jersey, and five counties in southern and central California: Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno."
"Transparency at the polls translates into faith in the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of election integrity, Pam Bondi, the attorney general, said in a statement to the Associated Press. Election monitoring is a routine function of the justice department, but the focus on California and New Jersey comes as both states are set to hold closely-watched elections with national consequences on 4 November."
"The justice department's efforts are also the latest salvo in the Republican party's preoccupation with election integrity after Donald Trump spent years refusing to accept the results of the 2020 election and falsely railing against mail-in voting as rife with fraud. Democrats fear the new administration will attempt to gain an upper hand in next year's midterms with similarly unfounded allegations of fraud."
Federal election observers will be sent to monitor polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, and five counties in southern and central California: Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside and Fresno. The stated goals are transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law. Election monitoring is a routine Department of Justice function timed ahead of closely watched November 4 contests including New Jersey's open governor's race and California's special election to redraw congressional maps. Republican state parties requested the observers. The deployment occurs amid heightened partisan debates over election integrity after contested 2020 results and accusations about mail-in voting, and some Democrats have criticized the move as politically charged.
#department-of-justice #election-observers #california-elections #new-jersey-elections #election-integrity
Read at www.theguardian.com
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