US Department of Justice to send election observers to these North Carolina counties • NC Newsline

U.S. Department of Justice election observers will be present in Wake, Alamance and Mecklenburg counties on Election Day, according to the State Board of Elections.

The Justice Department said it would send monitors to every state in the largest surveillance effort in history, but did not disclose the locations.

The DOJ has sent election observers to North Carolina in previous elections. This fall expansive nationwide The effort is raising suspicion among Democrats, some Republicans and voting rights advocates because it comes as President Donald Trump tries to influence the election, States Newsroom reported.

Observers are allowed to enter polling locations on Election Day before voting begins in the morning to monitor the setup, and to remain there overnight after polls close, state Election Board General Counsel Tim Hoegemeyer told the DOJ’s Voting Rights Division in an email obtained by NC Newsline. Hoegemeyer cited state law and election rules in the email.

Early voting turnout so far shows enthusiasm among unaffiliated voters in North Carolina

Additionally, observers are allowed to approach people outside the polling place buffer zone before or after their vote to ask them questions about their voting experience, Hoegemeyer wrote. Observers can also contact political parties to request interviews with partisan poll observers.

According to the Campaign Law Centerfederal law prohibits observers from intimidating, coercing, or threatening a voter or anyone assisting a voter.

If contacted, voters do not have to answer observers’ questions, said Jeff Loperfido, chief legal counsel for voting rights at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

“Once the voting is over, it’s no different than people voting at the exit polls for candidates,” he said.

Olivia McCall, Wake’s elections director, said the presence of observers won’t change the voter experience.

“I don’t think they would notice anything different,” she said.

McCall did not know which polling stations observers would choose.

The presence of election observers will give Wake the opportunity to show how well he runs the election and how well he follows the law, she said.

“I hope this is Wake County’s opportunity to shine,” McCall said.