Campaign Legal Center Releases Reform Recommendations for DOJ Election Observer Program
WASHINGTON — This week, Campaign Legal Center published a landmark, comprehensive framework to reform the Department of Justice's election observer program at a time of heightened concern around how the program might be misused. Congress should increase transparency surrounding the program, clarify the limited role of federal observers, and establish clear rules and enforcement mechanisms to prevent misconduct.
There are currently limited legal restrictions on the DOJ election observer program. Because DOJ election observers are not clearly authorized by any federal statute, their authority to observe elections can be somewhat unclear.
If this program remains unregulated, it risks serious overreach by the federal government, poll worker confusion, and potential voter and election worker intimidation. This video explains more about how the program runs, the current risks, and the proposed reforms to prevent misconduct.
"The Department of Justice’s election observer program has engaged in critical, nonpartisan, behind-the-scenes work for decades. But in this current climate, concerns are mounting about the potential for the program to be disrupted or misused. Congress must act to preserve the program's important mission of ensuring our elections run safely and smoothly while putting in place the guardrails necessary to protect voters, election workers and our democratic process," said Nicole Hansen, legal counsel for policy at Campaign Legal Center. "We are eager to work with members of Congress to implement these crucial reform measures and continue safeguarding the freedom to vote."
Even without the passage of new legislation, existing federal law prevents election monitors from threatening voters or interfering with election results. And new federal legislation would help to ensure that the DOJ observers program can function as it was intended to under the Voting Rights Act: ensuring that every American can exercise their freedom to vote.
More information about the DOJ election observers program is here, and resources for voters and state and local election officials are here.
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The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. We safeguard the freedom to vote, defend voters’ right to know who is spending money to influence elections, and work to ensure public trust in our elected officials.
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