3 months ago
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(NewsNation) — Federal predetermination monitors volition beryllium sent to observe 2 intimately watched elections adjacent week: a redistricting vote successful California and a choky governor's race successful New Jersey.
The Trump administration said the determination is aimed astatine ensuring transparency and election security, but critics reason it amounts to elector intimidation. Republicans successful some states requested the monitors.
According to the Department of Justice, national observers from its Civil Rights Division volition beryllium contiguous successful Passaic County, New Jersey, arsenic good arsenic Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles counties successful California.
DOJ vows to uphold predetermination integrity
The DOJ did not specify which national predetermination laws it plans to enforce.
"Transparency astatine the polls translates into religion successful the electoral process, and this Department of Justice is committed to upholding the highest standards of predetermination integrity," Attorney General Pam Bondi said successful a statement.
In California, voters volition determine whether to o.k. Proposition 50, which would redraw the state's legislature lines to adhd 5 democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In New Jersey, voters volition take betwixt Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli successful a adjacent contention for the governor's seat.
DOJ predetermination oversight dates to 1965
It's not antithetic for the DOJ to show section elections. Election monitoring has been a modular signifier by some Democratic and Republican administrations since the transition of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Still, Democrats reason the Trump medication is targeting authorities elections that could crook into cardinal wins for their party.
"This is astir elector suppression. Full stop. And it's a pattern, isn't it?" California Gov. Gavin Newsom said successful a video posted connected societal media. In the video's caption, helium wrote, "We volition not beryllium intimidated. California volition support escaped and just elections."
The DOJ has sent observers to circumstantial jurisdictions oregon polling places successful erstwhile national elections, peculiarly wherever determination has been grounds of voting rights violations, to guarantee compliance with national civilian rights laws.
California to show DOJ predetermination observers
Still, immoderate analysts reason the determination could person broader governmental aims.
Charles Stewart, manager of MIT's Election Data and Science Lab, suggested the Trump medication could beryllium preparing for the 2026 midterms.
"In some California and New Jersey, these are authorities elections, truthful the lone national instrumentality to beryllium enforced is against radical favoritism successful voting," Stewart said. "I cognize there's controversies successful some states, but they don't impact radical favoritism successful voting. Perhaps it's a substance of the Department of Justice getting acceptable for the 2026 predetermination and utilizing this arsenic an accidental to effort to benignant of bash a adust tally for a much assertive programme adjacent year."
California has laws allowing governmental parties to observe each aspects of astir elections. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the authorities volition person its predetermination monitors watching the national teams adjacent week.
Election observers are prohibited from interacting with voters, canvass workers oregon ballot counting.
