Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
The U.S. Justice Department plans to send monitors to polling stations in Philadelphia and three other Pennsylvania counties for Election Day, according to a letter obtained by The Inquirer.<\/p>\n
The Oct. 22 letter addressed to Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt<\/a> says the Justice Department intends to send monitors to Philadelphia, Allegheny, Luzerne, and Lehigh Counties for the Nov. 3 general election. It does not say what led to the decision to deploy monitors, or how the counties were selected.<\/p>\n The monitors will follow all state and local rules, wrote James Catania, the Justice Department attorney assigned to supervise the monitors in the region. They will ensure compliance with federal voting laws, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act.<\/p>\n \u201cOur monitors only observe and take notes,\u201d the letter said. \u201cThey do not intrude or interfere in any way in the voting process.\u201d<\/p>\n The monitors will not be allowed to wear uniforms or pins that identify them as Justice Department staff, the letter said.<\/p>\n Federal monitors are not entitled to greater access to polling places than members of the general public, a Pennsylvania Department of State spokesperson said in a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cThe Pennsylvania Department of State expects everyone working in, voting in, and observing polling places to follow all applicable state and federal laws,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n Joe Grace, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker<\/a>\u2019s spokesperson, said in a statement that Philadelphia has a strong reputation for conducting free and fair elections, and this cycle would be no different.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery registered voter will have every opportunity to fully exercise their constitutional right to vote,\u201d Grace said.<\/p>\n The Justice Department\u2019s letter to Schmidt was first reported by CBS 21 News<\/a> in Harrisburg.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s administration announced in August a plan to deploy a record 1,000 monitors to polling places throughout the country<\/a>. In comparison, while Joe Biden<\/a> was president, the Justice Department deployed fewer than 400 monitors in the 2022 midterms<\/a>. <\/p>\n Justice Department monitors were at polling places in multiple states for primary elections over the summer, and most deployments went without issue. <\/p>\n