In a significant electoral development, Missouri’s Republican-led government has sought to prevent the U.S. Justice Department from deploying legal representatives to St. Louis on Election Day for monitoring compliance with federal voting rights laws. This legal action comes despite the St. Louis election board’s prior agreement to allow federal oversight.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri by the state’s attorney general and secretary of state, alleges that the Justice Department’s last-minute decision to send poll monitors aims to “displace state election authorities.” The monitors are scheduled to be present at various voting locations throughout St. Louis.
This election day is particularly noteworthy as former President Donald Trump, a Republican, is competing against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential race. Trump has repeatedly asserted, without evidence, that his 2020 electoral loss was due to widespread fraud, urging his supporters to monitor polling places for any suspicious activities.
The Justice Department announced on Friday that it would send personnel to monitor voting in 27 states, including critical battleground areas that could influence the election’s outcome. In Missouri, however, St. Louis is the only city where poll monitors will be deployed. This follows a settlement reached in January 2021 between the city and the Justice Department regarding concerns about access for voters with disabilities.
Under the terms of that settlement, the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners consented to federal monitoring of polling places to ensure compliance with voting accessibility standards. This agreement was finalized shortly before the end of the Trump administration, during which Eric Dreiband served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
The Justice Department has not commented on the ongoing lawsuit. While the agency will monitor several key counties in seven battleground states, it is also sending personnel to other locations, including areas in Texas, Massachusetts, Alaska, South Dakota, and New Jersey. Notably, Missouri is not classified as one of the critical battleground states.
The Justice Department plays a crucial role in enforcing federal voting rights laws, including mandates that require states to accommodate voters with disabilities and ensure that U.S. citizens and military personnel living abroad can vote via absentee ballots in federal elections.
In 2022, Florida and Missouri resisted the Justice Department’s attempts to place poll monitors in certain locations, including Miami-Dade and Broward County in Florida. Florida’s state law restricts federal employees from entering polling places unless listed as authorized personnel. Consequently, during the 2022 elections, the Justice Department stationed its staff outside polling locations in both states.
This unfolding situation in Missouri highlights ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities regarding voting rights oversight, particularly as the nation approaches another pivotal election.
