DOJ sued over ‘unprecedented’ 1,000 election monitors plan

Tuesday, October 6

By Andrew Wyrich · Newsletter Editor

Hello, pro-democracy readers! Have you moved recently? If so, President Donald Trump’s anti-voting plans might disenfranchise you during this fall’s election. Meanwhile, documents reviewed by Democracy Docket show that the Department of Justice (DOJ) broke from norms and dispatched criminal prosecutors and an FBI agent to monitor Arizona’s primary.

All that and more is on the docket today. See you tomorrow!

Moved recently? Under Trump’s voter eligibility lists, you could be disenfranchised

If Trump has his way and creates state-by-state lists of people eligible to vote in federal elections, millions of people who changed addresses could face disenfranchisement right before the midterms.
There’s a key problem in Trump’s directive: “Put simply: people move,” the Electronic Privacy Information Center noted in a recent court briefing in its lawsuit challenging the creation of the lists.

➤ How Trump’s anti-voting order has no clear directions and bad data

DOJ dispatched criminal prosecutors, FBI agent to monitor Arizona’s primary, documents reveal

In a major break from norms, the DOJ sent at least six different prosecuting attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Arizona to monitor the battleground state’s July 21 primaries, according to records reviewed by Democracy Docket.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, has said the monitors will be fulfilling their traditional role of ensuring access to voting. But the inclusion of prosecutors and an FBI official raises concerns that the monitors will be used to restrict access or intimidate voters.
More from Arizona: A Florida lawyer who previously pleaded guilty to illegally accessing election websites monitored the primary election in Maricopa County, Arizona for the DOJ, according to records reviewed by Democracy Docket.

➤ More on this abnormal departure for the DOJ

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WATCH: Democracy Docket’s reporting cited in lawsuit against DOJ for withholding records

You all seemed quite interested in yesterday’s story about the DOJ being sued for withholding records related to its “unprecedented” plan to deploy roughly 1,000 federal monitors to polling places this fall.
If you missed the story, video journalist Emily Gross breaks it all down for you in a new video.

➤ Watch our new video

Could a new court ruling undermine Trump’s favorite voter suppression bill?

An unusual ruling in Florida — in a case that is part of the Trump administration’s bid to spread fear about noncitizen voting — could raise questions about the constitutionality of the sweeping voter suppression measure being pushed by the president.

➤ How the ruling could impact Trump’s anti-voting plans

Utah’s GOP election head purged noncitizens from voter rolls, but the Trump team didn’t want to hear how few she found

Utah has already combed its voter rolls for any noncitizens registered to vote and found it to be a complete non-issue, but that’s not what the Trump administration and congressional Republicans want to hear, the state’s Republican elections chief said.
“They don’t want to know that things are going well, because it goes against a narrative that is being pounded relentlessly of mass fraud or ineligible people voting,” the state’s top election official told local media outlets.

➤ Why “facts just don’t support that narrative”

In win for voters with disabilities, court strikes down California mail ballot rule

A federal court struck down a California rule that required voters to return mail ballots by paper and without assistance from others. Plaintiffs argued this requirement is not merely difficult, but disenfranchises voters with disabilities.
While the decision is a win for voters, it likely will not affect voting this fall.

➤ More on the win

Ohio early voting kicks off

Early voting started today across Ohio, where multiple election-denying candidates are vying for office as voters weigh a voter-ID constitutional amendment.

➤ Here’s what we’re watching in Ohio

Here we share noteworthy briefs on all things voting rights and democracy. Have a footnote for us? Send it to newsletters@democracydocket.com.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called Trump “deranged and dangerous” over comments he made at a rally about Iran being able to “take out” major cities like Los Angeles and San Diego, a line that disturbingly drew applause from his supporters.
Two Democratic senators want to know more about the “location and ownership” of a “watch-sized 18-karat gold ring encrusted with 321 diamonds and 75 gemstones” that Trump was gifted in June. The senators say “the disposition of the ring is currently unknown.”
The latest in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool saga: The man who was initially accused (and later cleared) of vandalizing it is urging two government watchdogs to investigate the installation of the pool lining and the dropped investigation that accused him of destruction of property.

Today's newsletter was edited by Sally Holtgrieve and Dave O’Brien, and produced by Leila Fusenig. Learn more about our staff here.