The U.S. Department of Justice is sending election monitors to Lehigh County’s polling places on Nov. 3, prompting outrage from activists. But county officials say the DOJ’s actions aren’t unusual and won’t disrupt the election.
The Justice Department announced last week that its monitors will be visiting polling sites and checking for compliance of federal voting rights statutes concerning voter registration, absentee voting, voting accessibility and language issues. DOJ monitors also will be in Philadelphia, Allegheny and Luzerne counties.
Mike Paston, Lehigh County’s election chief, said the DOJ has not told the county how many monitors it’s sending or which polls they will visit. The agents typically move around to different polling places throughout the day, he said.
Like any other citizen, the monitors must stay outside, at least 10 feet from the entrance. They can attempt to interview people who have finished voting, but voters do not have to comply.
The monitors will wear plain clothes and must show identification to the judge of elections at each polling place.
“From all they’ve said, they’ll be very passive and nonintrusive,” Paston said.
Paston said the DOJ would not say why they chose Lehigh County to monitor. It’s standard practice for the Justice Department to visit polling places on Election Day to make sure federal voting laws are followed.
“Voters in Lehigh County should have full confidence in the safety and security of their polling stations,” Paston said. “The Office of Voter Registration is actively coordinating with justice department representatives to guarantee a smooth, orderly and quiet observance of county elections. Whether you’re voting in Allentown, a suburban precinct, or a rural precinct, our polling sites are perfectly safe for you to participate in the democratic process.”
The deployment is part of the Trump administration’s plans to send 1,000 monitors across the U.S. on Election Day. Justice Department officials have said their monitors won’t be armed and will not interfere with voting.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said Tuesday that the monitors are not legally entitled to any greater access to polling places than any other member of the public, and encouraged them to coordinate with county election offices to ensure that their activities do not disrupt the voting process in any way.
Schmidt noted that state and federal laws bar military and law enforcement presences at polling places. Police officers, for example, must stay 100 feet away unless they’re serving a warrant or preventing disturbances.
The federal government will not be the only ones monitoring the polls Tuesday. Volunteers from the Democratic Party and outside watchdog groups will be watching too, documenting anything unusual. Nationwide, groups such as Common Cause and the American Civil Liberties Union have trained thousands of volunteers in preparation for Nov. 3.
Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel said in a statement that his office consulted county solicitors to make sure DOJ monitors understood the rules. He said county officials will keep an eye on the observers’ actions to make sure they follow laws preventing intimidation and voting interference.
“It’s unfortunate that the election observation process, which occurs in every federal election, now comes with such a stigma and shadow. These federal officials are tasked with evaluating and documenting compliance with civil rights laws and voter access. We’re working to ensure their presence doesn’t have a negative impact on the very participation they’re seeking to preserve,” Siegel said.
In Lehigh County, activists are urging county officials to deny the DOJ monitors access to polling places. By law, that’s not an option, Paston said, though he reiterated that the monitors must stay outside.
Hands Off Pennsylvania, which describes itself as “a nonpartisan, multiracial, multifaith alliance of community organizations and labor unions working together to protect our vote and defend the will of the people,” said in a statement that members were concerned that the Trump administration was sending the monitors in an attempt to rig the midterms.
Make the Road Pennsylvania, which has an Allentown branch, is part of the coalition.
“Yet again, the ruling regime is trying to silence and scare people on the basis of what they look like and where they come from. From efforts to dismantle voting rights protections and limit Black communities’ ability to elect leaders of their choice to the targeting, detention, and mistreatment of immigrant families, this regime has repeatedly sought to silence and marginalize those whose participation moves our nation closer to liberty and justice for all,” co-executive directors Diana Robinson and Patty Torres of Make the Road Pennsylvania said in a statement.
Gillian Wenhold, Lehigh Valley organizer of Lehigh Valley Stands Up, a political and community advocacy organization based in Lehigh and Northampton counties, also expressed concern, but said the organization trusts Lehigh County officials to administer a safe and secure election.
“The Trump administration continues to lie, lash out, and sow chaos and confusion leading up to election day because they know they’re losing. Pennsylvanians and voters across the country are unhappy with the cruelty of his deportation machine, as he continues to fail to solve the affordability crisis, all while driving us into more war,” Wenhold said.