Republican-Led States Fail to Block Federal Election Monitors

Efforts by some Republican-led states to block federal election monitors from polling stations failed on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last Friday that it would oversee voting compliance in 86 jurisdictions across 27 states, including counties in Missouri and Texas. Such practices have been in place for nearly 60 years. However, Missouri officials contended that these efforts would “displace state election authorities,” and Texas’s attorney general argued that “Texas law alone determines who can monitor voting in Texas.” Both states filed requests for court orders that would bar the monitors.

A federal judge denied Missouri’s request. Monitors will remain at the St. Louis polling station, which the DOJ chose to oversee after the site reached a settlement in 2021 over concerns about barriers hindering people with disabilities from voting. Authorities in Texas withdrew their motion on Tuesday after the DOJ ensured that its monitors would follow local laws and remain outside of polling locations.

Florida also told the DOJ that it would not allow federal monitors. Rather than filing a temporary restraining order, though, state officials said they would send their own watchers to the four DOJ-designated locations to ensure that there is no interference.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party nominee, has encouraged his supporters to watch for alleged fraud at polling stations.

“Keep your eyes open because these people want to cheat, and they do cheat,” he said on Saturday, referring to Democratic voters. At least one chapter of the Proud Boys—an extremist group that helped lead the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021—has said that its members will fight for a Trump victory if the results do not go their way. And far-right organizations have urged poll-watchers to be ready to dispute the final tallies in  Democratic-leaning areas, according to the New York Times.