TEXAS, USA — In response to the U.S. Justice Department announcing that federal poll monitors will be sent to voting sites across the country, including Texas, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office said they will not be allowed inside polling places.
“Texas law is clear: Justice Department monitors are not permitted inside a polling place where ballots are being cast or a central counting station where ballots are being counted,” the Texas Secretary of State, Jane Nelson, said in a letter to the DOJ.
The DOJ said it will be sending monitors to 86 jurisdictions across 27 states on Election Day, November 5. In their release, they said the monitors will be there to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws.
Among the jurisdictions listed out by the DOJ are eight Texas counties, including Harris County and Waller Counties in the Houston area, as well as Atascosa, Bexar, Dallas, Frio, Hays and Palo Pinto counties across the rest of the state.
As of Friday, the Harris County Elections Department reported more than 1.17 million county residents early voted in person.
“Rest assured that Texas has robust processes and procedures in place to ensure that eligible voters may participate in a free and fair election,” the letter reads.
Gov. Greg Abbott echoed Nelson’s letter, saying, “Federal monitors are not allowed to enter polling places in Texas,” in a post on X.
Federal monitors are not allowed to enter polling places in Texas. https://t.co/I0Pk9Y9hEi
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 2, 2024
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