DOJ to Monitor Polling Sites in Passaic County, New Jersey

Strategic Insights -

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it will be monitoring polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, following concerns raised by Republicans over the security of mail-in ballots. The move comes as Republican Jack Ciattarelli is locked in a tight race for governor against Democrat Mikie Sherrill. Passaic County, which has a dense immigrant population, was previously reliably Democratic but was narrowly won by President Donald Trump in the last election.

Key Takeaways:

  • The U.S. Department of Justice will deploy staff from its Civil Rights Division to monitor polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey, for the November 4 election.
  • The move is in response to concerns raised by Republicans over the lack of security for mail-in ballots, which they say is necessary to ensure the integrity of the voting process.
  • Passaic County officials had rebuffed a request from Republicans to install cameras and sign-in logs for mail-in ballot storage areas, which are already used in nearby counties.
  • The Passaic elections board has not commented on the federal deployment, which was criticized by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin as "highly inappropriate" and not based on a legitimate basis.
  • The DOJ plans to also monitor polling sites in several counties in Southern and Central California, including Los Angeles County, following similar requests from Republican officials.
  • Democrats have been outperforming Republicans on mail-in ballots by nearly 3 to 1, according to state data.

Statistics:

  • 3 points: the margin by which President Donald Trump won Passaic County in the last election.
  • 125,000: the difference in mail-in ballots between Democrats and Republicans, according to state data.
  • 1:3: the ratio of Democrats to Republicans on mail-in ballots, according to state data.
  • November 4: the date of the election that Passaic County officials will be monitoring.

Sources:

  • The Gothamist: "NJ Dems Outpacing GOP in Mail-in Gubernatorial Ballots by 125K, State Data Shows"
  • U.S. Department of Justice: Press release announcing the monitoring of polling sites in Passaic County, New Jersey (no date provided)
  • Twitter: New Jersey Republicans (@NJGOP)
  • Twitter: New Jersey Republicans (@NJGOP)