DOJ Won’t Be Sending Election Monitors to New Bedford on November 3

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — The City of New Bedford announced this afternoon that the U.S. Department of Justice no longer plans to send federal election monitors to New Bedford polling stations on election day, November 3.

According to a post on the city’s official Facebook page, the election commission had “received a number of inquiries” about whether or not the federal government would send observers for the general election, as it did with the Massachusetts primary back in September.

DOJ Initial Announcement and Multi-State Deployment

Back on July 7, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon posted on her official X account that the Department of Justice would be conducting “routine, nonpartisan election monitoring that’s been standard under both Republican & Democrat administrations for decades.” She said they would be deploying election monitors in 15 jurisdictions across six states, including Massachusetts. On a podcast, she stated that New Bedford was one of those jurisdictions.

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Mayor Jon Mitchell Pushed Back on Federal Voter Roll Request

The DOJ’s letter to city officials cited concern over citizens who speak limited English still having access to vote, and requested the city’s voter rolls. In an August appearance on WBSM, Mayor Jon Mitchell called the request “bewildering” and “completely and evidently, unmistakably, pretextual” and explained his decision to deny the request for the rolls.

“Call me deeply cynical, but it’s hard for me to believe that the Trump Administration is concerned about facilitating voting among people who don’t speak any English,” Mitchell said. “Call me crazy, I don’t know, maybe they had a change of heart.”

However, he also said the city wouldn’t stand in the way of federal election monitors.

“That’s their right to do, and we’re not going to impede them whatsoever,” he said. “We wouldn’t impede them or anyone else. It’s their right to observe the election so long as they’re not getting in the way of the process.”

According to the New Bedford Light, two teams of federal election observers were in the city for the September 1 primary, observing the proceedings and taking notes. However, they won’t be returning for the general election on Tuesday.

DOJ Formally Cancels Election Day Observer Deployment

“On Friday, October 23, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) notified the City of New Bedford that it no longer intends to send election day observers to New Bedford,” the City posted. “On Monday, New Bedford officials reconfirmed with DOJ, as well as the Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of State, that no DOJ monitors will be present at polls in New Bedford for the State Election.”

“The Election Commission remains in communication with federal and state election officials and will provide future updates if needed,” according to the post.