DOJ to monitor polls in Harnett, Alamance and Columbus Counties on Midterm Election Day: Vote 2022
Monday, the Justice Department (DOJ) confirms it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 64 jurisdictions in 24 states, including North Carolina on Tuesday for the midterm general election.
DOJ said their Civil Rights Division has regularly monitored elections in the field in jurisdictions around the country to protect the rights of voters since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot
In addition to monitoring polls, DOJ said the Civil Rights Division will be taking complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center.
DOJ said it plans to monitor polls in Harnett, Alamance and Columbus Counties in North Carolina.
How to report violations
If you think your right to vote has been violated, you can report it by filing a complaint form on DOJ's website or call toll-free: 1-800-253-3931.
Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the department's toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through a link on the department's ADA website.
DOJ said voter complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials, including officials at the polling where you vote.
Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. They encourage voters to report any incidents to DOJ even after local authorities have been contacted.
In a news release, DOJ said monitors will include personnel from the Civil Rights Division and from U.S. Attorneys' Offices The division will also deploys monitors from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. Division personnel will also maintain contact with state and local election officials.
Click on DOJ to see their overall plans for the general election to protect the right to vote and secure the integrity of the voting process through the work of the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division and U.S. Attorneys' Offices.
Vote 2022 Voter Guide: What you need to know before voting on Midterm Election Day
What is Voter Intimidation?
According to the ACLU, Voter intimidation is attempting to interfere with your or anyone's right to vote, it may be voter intimidation and a violation of federal law. Examples of intimidation may include: aggressively questioning voters about their citizenship, criminal record, or other qualifications to vote , in a manner intended to interfere with the voters' rights falsely presenting oneself as an elections official spreading false information about voter requirements, such as an ability to speak English, or the need to present certain types of photo identification (in states with no such requirement) displaying false or misleading signs about voter fraud and the related criminal pen.
Here's how to report voter intimidation
The Election Protection Hotline: 1-866-687-8683 or 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)
Your local and state officials, including poll workers; your county clerk, elections commissioner, elections supervisor; or your state board of elections. See NC rules here.
The U.S. Department of Justice Voting Rights Hotline: 800-253-3931; TTY line 877-267-8971
What's included in the Voting Rights Act?
This Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon Johnson. It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War, including literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting. According to US National Archives, by the end of 1965, a quarter of a million new Black voters had been registered, one-third by federal examiners. By the end of 1966, only four out of 13 southern states had fewer than 50 percent of African Americans registered to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was readopted and strengthened in 1970, 1975, and 1982.
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