Election Day is here, and officials will be monitoring compliance with federal voting rights laws in eight Massachusetts cities, including Everett, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lowell, Malden, Methuen, Quincy and Salem.
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Election Day is here, and officials will be monitoring compliance with federal voting rights laws in eight Massachusetts cities, including Everett, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lowell, Malden, Methuen, Quincy and Salem.
The Department of Justice announced Friday that they would be doing this at polling locations in 86 jurisdictions in 27 states for the Nov. 5 general election. Monitors will also be at three cities in Rhode Island, including Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket.
“The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program is vital to combatting discrimination at the polls and furthering public confidence in the electoral process. Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. "My office is proud to be a part of this important effort to protect the sacrosanct right to vote,"
Assistant United States Attorney Anuj Khetarpal has been appointed as Voting Rights Coordinator for the District of Massachusetts and will lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Election Day monitoring efforts. Nationally, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will coordinate the effort which includes monitors from the Civil Rights Division, other Department divisions, U.S. Attorney’s Offices and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.
Massachusetts State Secretary Bill Galvin says this is not a new thing but it's a continued effort to ensure that everyone gets to cast their ballot without any hiccups in a year that he believes will be one for the record books.
In 2020, about 3.7 million Bay State residents voted. This year, nearly 2 million ballots have already been cast through early voting.
Massachusetts polls are open from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. Tuesday. State and local law enforcement say they will be at all the locations closely watching for any irregular activity.
The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act and Civil Rights Acts.
The Voting Rights Act makes it illegal for states and local governments to use voting practices or election rules that deny or restrict voting rights because of a citizen’s race or color, or which result in citizens who belong to a particular language minority group having less of an opportunity than everyone else to vote for and elect their chosen public officials. It also protects voters’ rights to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
The Division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. The Division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin or religion.
According to the DOJ, the public can direct concerns or complaints about voting rights to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston at 833-634-8669. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the department’s toll-free ADA information hotline at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov.
Complaints related to any disruptions at a polling place should always be reported to local election officials, the DOJ said. Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911.
