Election Day Chaos: DOJ, Civil Rights Groups, Lawyers, Cops Outside Polling Places

Brittany M. Hughes | November 8, 2016
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November 8 dawned none too early for many Americans, who headed off to the polls to cast their ballot for their presidential nominee after a contentious election cycle.

But stark political divides and partisan rhetoric weren’t the only factors contributing to the chaos of Election Day. Allegations of voting rights violations, election fraud and voter intimidation ran rampant, inspiring groups on both side of the political aisle – and some in between – to head to the polls for an altogether different reason.

The Justice Department announced Monday it would be sending 500 personnel from its Civil Rights Division teams to 67 polling places across 28 states to monitor for voter intimidation and whether voters are treated differently based on their race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or language.

Unsurprisingly, months of tension and reports of violence at political rallies have spurred multiple law enforcement departments across the nation to set up shop in voting locations. Democrats in parts of Missouri expressed concern when Green County Sheriff Shane Schoeller announced last week he’d be sending his deputies to 75 polling places on Tuesday, a first for the Missouri county. The NAACP and other civil rights groups have criticized the move as a potential form of voter intimidation in heavily minority areas.

Civil rights groups say they’re worried about voter intimidation and people being turned away from the polls due to their race or ethnicity. The Election Protection Coalition told the Washington Post it’s set up 23 call centers across the country for people to report allegations of bullying or disenfranchisement at the voting booth.

GOP officials in Michigan said they’re deploying more than 100 lawyers to voting booths to watch out for cases of voter fraud.

In Detroit, both political parties and several other non-partisan groups registered to send “voting challengers” to polling places on Election Day.

According to the Detroit Free Press, official challengers can challenge a person’s voting, but only if they have good legal reason. They can also “inspect — but not handle — poll books and voting records, inspect voting equipment and monitor election workers to ensure proper procedures are followed.” The DOJ has sent officials to monitor polling places in Detroit.

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