Missouri sues DOJ for election interference

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a complaint to block the U.S. Department of Justice from alleged election inference, according to a Monday release. The law clearly limits who is allowed at polling places and makes the DOJ’s action illegal, Ashcroft said. He added that no one is above the law. Missouri already explained these laws to the government the last time they tried interfering with its elections in 2022, he continued. The feds are now trying a backdoor method by making false jurisdictional claims to local election officials and cutting out communication with the state secretary, Ashcroft said.

The Department of Justice planned to monitor polling locations across 27 states for the Nov. 5 election to ensure local officials uphold federal voting laws, according to a Friday statement. A total of 86 jurisdictions will be monitored from Alaska down to Florida, including polling areas in the 2024 swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. However, Massachusetts and Texas will receive the most attention of any state, each having eight districts that will be federally monitored.

How does the DOJ monitor polls? Federal monitors are meant to ensure citizens have equal access to ballots and guard against intimidation or partisan campaigning at the polls. Federal overseers also verify that citizens with language barriers or physical disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote, according to the DOJ. For example, election monitors in Alaska are focused on districts with high indigenous populations to ensure the required translation accommodations are made for different Yup’ik dialects. Citizens may report election violations to the department, along with other complaints and questions on Election Day, the DOJ said.

Is Missouri the only state concerned about federal oversight? Federal regulators routinely monitor elections, but several states still take issue with the government’s presence. Besides Missouri, Florida also barred federal regulators from overseeing polling during the 2022 midterm elections.

State officials did the same last week. Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd informed the deputy chief of the DOJ’s voting department, Jasmyn Richardson, that federal regulators would not be allowed inside Florida polling places, according to local news. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson will also bar federal monitors from entering polling places, according to reporting by ABC News.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report on more pending lawsuits over voting methods.