DOJ Squashes Trump Voter Suppression With Plan To Protect Polling Places

Monday the DOJ announced its plan to protect poll places from Trump’s strategy of suppression. The plan includes sending 500 monitors to 67 jurisdictions in 28 states.

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The DOJ’s Civil Rights division is “charged with enforcing the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot on Election Day. It’s a responsibility the DOJ has taken seriously since passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The DoJ’s involvement in enforcing the VRA is just one of the many reasons Republicans have worked harder to kill the VRA than to try to win elections by appealing to voters.

The monitors will gather information on matters like:

1. If voters are subject to different voting qualifications or procedures based on their race, color or membership in a language minority group.
2. If poll places comply with minority language provisions under the VRA
3. If poll places allow voters to receive assistance by a person of their choice if the person is blind, has a disability, or is unable to read or write.
4. If poll places provide polling locations and voting systems that allow voters with disabilities to cast private and independent ballots.
5. If poll places comply with voter registration list requirements
6. If poll places comply with provisional ballots as required by the Help America Vote Act.

People with the ability to speak in Spanish and a variety of Asian and Native American languages will be available.

Aside from the monitors, lawyers in the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section will staff a hotline beginning in the early hours of the morning.

If you see or experience voting rights violations, you can call the following numbers: 1-800-253-3931, 202-307-2767 or TTY 202-305-0082.

Also, you can report complaints by fax to 202- 307-3961.

You can email voting.section@usdoj.gov or go directly to the website.

The Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section handles complaints about election fraud.

You can contact any local U.S. Attorney’s Office, the local FBi or call the Public Integrity Section at 202-514.

This is a list of the jurisdictions that will be monitored:

• Bethel Census Area, Alaska;
• Dillingham Census Area, Alaska;
• Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska;
• Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska;
• Maricopa County, Arizona;
• Navajo County, Arizona;
• Alameda County, California;
• Napa County, California;
• Siskiyou County, California;
• East Hartford, Connecticut;
• Farmington, Connecticut;
• Hartford, Connecticut;
• Middletown, Connecticut;
• New Britain, Connecticut;
• Newington, Connecticut;
• West Hartford, Connecticut;
• Hillsborough County, Florida;
• Lee County, Florida;
• Miami-Dade County, Florida;
• Orange County, Florida;
• Palm Beach County, Florida;
• Fulton County, Georgia;
• Gwinnett County, Georgia;
• Hancock County, Georgia;
• Chicago, Illinois;
• Cook County, Illinois;
• Finney County, Kansas;
• Orleans Parish, Louisiana;
• Quincy, Massachusetts;
• Dearborn Heights, Michigan;
• Detroit, Michigan;
• Hamtramck, Michigan;
• St. Louis, Missouri;
• Douglas County, Nebraska;
• Mineral County, Nevada;
• Washoe County, Nevada;
• Middlesex County, New Jersey;
• Cibola County, New Mexico;
• Kings County, New York;
• Orange County, New York;
• Queens County, New York;
• Cumberland County, North Carolina;
• Forsyth County, North Carolina;
• Mecklenburg County, North Carolina;
• Robeson County, North Carolina;
• Wake County, North Carolina;
• Benson County, North Dakota;
• Rolette County, North Dakota;
• Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
• Franklin County, Ohio;
• Hamilton County, Ohio;
• Allegheny County, Pennsylvania;
• Lehigh County, Pennsylvania;
• Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania;
• Pawtucket, Rhode Island;
• Providence, Rhode Island;
• Bennett County, South Dakota;
• Jackson County, South Dakota;
• Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota;
• Shelby County, Tennessee;
• Dallas County, Texas;
• Harris County, Texas;
• Waller County, Texas;
• San Juan County, Utah;
• Fairfax County, Virginia;
• Prince William County, Virginia, and
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Adalia Woodbury

Former contributor.