"On Tuesday, nearly half the country will head to the polls to cast ballots on a range of major questions and offices, and President Donald Trump just made a not-so-subtle power grab ahead of the off-year vote. Just days before next week's elections, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that federal monitors will be sent to California and New Jersey to ensure "ballot security.""
"Though the move has sparked fear on social media, preeminent elections expert Rick Hasen assures Slate that it's more bark than bite, likely intended to "trigger" Democrats during the lead-up to a critical vote. That said, Hasen warns that this initial attempt by Trump to use federal officials to push his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud could lead to something much more terrifying in the near future: federal troops at our polling places."
Federal monitors will be sent to five California counties and one New Jersey county to observe voters casting ballots. The announcement frames the deployment as ensuring "ballot security" but has sparked fear on social media. The move feeds into the perception that there is something wrong with how elections are being conducted and may be intended to "trigger" opposition voters during a critical vote. The tactic is characterized as more bark than bite by elections experts, while also being warned that it could escalate into the use of federal troops at polling places. Government oversight of local elections requires a court order under the 2013 Supreme Court decision Shelby County v. Holder, and the California Secretary of State reminded the Department of Justice of that requirement.
Read at Slate Magazine
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