Alabama’s 2nd District GOP candidate attacks Justice Department’s election surveillance program

Alabama’s GOP candidate has accused the Justice Department’s election monitoring of “fraud and intimidation,” likening it to “judges wearing the other team’s jersey.” (Left: Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector: Right: Caroleene Dobson Campaign)

Caroleene Dobson’s campaign on Monday accused the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) long-standing election monitoring program of “fraud and intimidation.”

In a statement, a spokesman for the Republican candidate in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, who noted that Democratic candidate Shomari Figures previously worked at the Justice Department, described the department’s role as “like judges wearing a different team’s jersey.”

“As far as we know, these so-called monitors were handpicked by Shomari Figures, who worked directly with Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland at the Department of Justice,” Dobson campaign spokesman Drew Dixon said.

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Figures in a statement on Monday questioned Dobson’s intention to claim potential election meddling, saying he believed “her view is that the election is only fair if the Republicans win” and “to prepare for , which does not win, she wants to lay the groundwork to question the result.”

“Does Mrs. Dobson believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election fairly? I’m sure she would say no. But does she believe that Donald Trump won fairly in 2016? I’m sure she would say yes,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Justice Monitoring Initiative, a nationwide program on Election Day, appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Hutchins III to handle any voting issuesincluding potential voter intimidation and fraud, in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, which includes parts 1St2n.dand 7thousand electoral districts. Both North Alabama and Middle areas an election official was also appointed.

The program dates back to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and has been used by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Dixon expressed disbelief at the process.

“We must take every opportunity we can to restore public confidence, but to say that friends of Shomari Figures at the Department of Justice can be impartial judges in elections means just the opposite,” he said.

Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which now includes most of Mobile County, Montgomery County and several rural counties, is “presumably Democratic,” according to Prepare a political reportmeaning the race is “not currently considered competitive, but (has) the potential to become involved.”

The figures accused Dobson of undermining public trust in the democratic process, linking her statements to the rhetoric that fueled the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

“As a lawyer Mrs Dobson should be ashamed of herself for trying to undermine faith and confidence in democracy. We saw similar things happen on January 6, 2021,” Figures said in a statement.

The numbers indicate that former President Donald Trump’s administration used the program on Election Day, as in 2018 year and 2020 is the year.

He also noted that the Justice Department has a long history of overseeing elections in Alabama because of the state’s long history of voter suppression.

Dixon said Dobson agrees with the results of the 2020 election, but also recognizes that public confidence in the integrity of elections is at an all-time low.

Most voters believe the 2024 election will go well both locally and nationally, according to Pew Research Centerwhere 92% of voters trust the electoral process of their community. In the US overall, 73% feel the same, which is higher than in 2020 but still lower than in 2018.

The Department of Justice’s Election Day Monitoring Program, established in 1965 under the Voting Rights Act, is designed to ensure fair access to polling places and prevent voter intimidation, discrimination, and fraud, according to Department of Civil Rights of the Ministry of Justice. The department says the election monitoring program is aimed at protecting voting rights and maintaining the integrity of elections all citizens should be able to vote “without interference or discrimination” and that election workers must be able to perform their duties safely.

Historically, the Justice Department has sent observers and federal observers hired by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to jurisdictions with documented histories of voter suppression, such as Alabama and other southern states, to observe the election process and report on compliance with federal voting laws. .

In 2013, the US Supreme Court Shelby County v. Holder changed the Justice Department’s election monitoring program by repealing the pre-authorization formula of the Voting Rights Act, which required federal review of changes in election laws in some states.

The Department of Justice still places election observers in select areas, particularly in areas where court orders for federal surveillance are in effect or where the Department of Justice determines special needs.

The figures say the Justice Department has been monitoring Alabama elections since 1965 because of Alabama’s history of voter suppression, and say “the state is up to its old tricks again.”

“Not only with the recent attempts to remove voters from the rolls right before the election, but Mrs. Dobson knows she’s running in a district that was literally created by Alabama’s attempts to suppress black voting power,” Figures said. . “And the judges appointed by Donald Trump made that decision.”

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