President Joe Biden’s Justice Department has been heavily politicized and weaponized against Republicans, a growing number of Americans believe — they point to the prosecution of former President Donald Trump — and as such, the DOJ is quickly falling out of favor with a large swath of the country.
That includes any offer to ‘monitor’ 2024 ballot polling places. This week, Florida and Missouri both rejected requests from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to station federal election monitors inside polling locations during the 2022 elections, asserting that such actions could be interpreted as federal voter intimidation.
The Federalist reached out to other Republican-led states to inquire whether they would adopt a similar position if faced with similar requests from the DOJ. However, not all states seemed inclined to resist what they perceived as the Biden administration’s politicized enforcement agency.
In 2022, the DOJ announced plans to dispatch election monitors to 64 jurisdictions nationwide to oversee reported instances of voter intimidation and threats. Despite this, when several Florida counties were identified for monitoring by the DOJ, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis declined to permit the entry of DOJ election monitors into polling sites in South Florida. DeSantis contended that the involvement of the DOJ could prove “counterproductive” and potentially erode confidence in the electoral process.
“Florida statutes list the people who ‘may enter any polling room or polling place,’” Chief Counsel for the Florida Department of State Brad McVay wrote in a letter. The Department of State is overseen by DeSantis. “Department of Justice personnel are not included on the list.”
The DOJ “couldn’t provide a reason to be [at the polling places], nor any statutory authority for them to be there,” Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd stated in a letter, according to Politico.
In 2022, Missouri adopted a comparable position, asserting that the presence of the DOJ amounted to bullying local election authorities. State officials proposed that the DOJ should direct any election-related concerns to the secretary of state’s office for discussion and resolution.
Ahead of the November election, The Federalist asked Republican governors if they would allow DOJ poll monitors. Here are some responses:
DeSantis Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern confirmed to The Federalist that Florida’s policy has not changed: “Florida statutes on this matter have not changed, and DOJ personnel are not included on the list of ‘who may enter any polling room or polling place.”
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen told The Federalist DOJ election monitors are not included in state laws’ “exhaustive list of the persons who are allowed within 30 feet of a polling precinct.”
“As such, they will not be permitted to enter polling locations in Alabama,” Allen told The Federalist. “The United States Constitution delegates to the states the roles and responsibilities surrounding election administration. This office and our local election officials are well equipped to ensure that Alabama elections are fair, secure, and transparent without unconstitutional supervision by the federal government.”
Communications Director Alexa Henning for Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders told The Federalist that “Governor Sanders will not permit the Biden DOJ to improperly intimidate or unduly influence Arkansans inside our state’s polling locations.”
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte’s press secretary, Kaitlin Price, said their state does not “need the federal government’s” intervention, adding: “Montana has a long history of fair, secure, transparent elections and doesn’t need the federal government’s help in protecting our elections. Working with Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, the governor passed a number of commonsense reforms to protect the integrity of our elections.”
Ditto for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who told the outlet:
“I have always fought for free, fair, and honest elections because that’s what South Dakota voters deserve You should have faith and trust in the system when you vote, and that’s easier to achieve when the election process is run by people here at home and not some DC-based hack. We will never allow this corrupt DOJ that has been proven to weaponize its power against those they disagree with politically to meddle in our elections,” Noem continued.
Mississippi officials noted: “The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office stands by its previous communications to the DOJ that state law prevents any person other than an election official, credentialed poll observer as defined by Miss. Code Ann. Section 23-15-577, or a person casting their ballot from being within 30 feet of a polling place.”