DOJ to send election monitors to New Jersey following request from GOP
According to the DOJ, monitors will be coming to Passaic County “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law."
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The Department of Justice is preparing to send federal election observers to New Jersey next month, following requests from the state Republican Party.
According to the DOJ, monitors will be coming to Passaic County “to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law."
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin called the move “highly inappropriate” and said the DOJ “has not even attempted to identify a legitimate basis for its actions.”
The New Jersey Republican Party sent a letter to the DOJ earlier this month asking for election monitors to “oversee the receipt and processing of vote-by-mail ballots” and “monitor access to the Board of Elections around the clock" in suburban Passaic County ahead of the state’s gubernatorial race.
The New Jersey Republican State Committee told Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, that federal intervention was necessary to ensure an accurate vote count in the heavily Latino county that was once a Democratic stronghold, but shifted to President Donald Trump’s column in last year's presidential race.
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The county could be critical to GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli’s hopes against Democrat Mikie Sherrill. But the letter cited previous voter fraud cases in the county and alleged a “long and sordid history” of vote-by-mail shenanigans.
In 2020, a judge ordered a new election for a city council seat in Paterson — the largest city in Passaic County — after the apparent winner and others were charged with voter fraud.
Platkin said the state is committed to ensuring its elections are fair and secure. With the DOJ's announcement, he said the attorney general's office is "considering all of our options to prevent any effort to intimidate voters or interfere with our elections.”
Federal monitors will also be coming to five counties in California to monitor that state’s elections.
News 12 has reached out to Gov. Phil Murphy’s office for comment and is waiting to hear back.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.
