NAACP Urges Department of Justice to Renew Election Monitoring Program

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL

October 25, 2022

Dear Assistant Attorney General Clarke:

The NAACP, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the country, requests that, the Department of Justice (DOJ) renew its election monitor program and send monitors to both the jurisdictions announced for the 2020 general election as well to the additional jurisdictions set forth in this letter. Doing so will help ensure every voter is able to legally and fairly cast their ballot in compliance with federal voting rights laws.

In part thanks to tremendous turnout from Black voters, a record number of voters participated in the 2020 election. However, since the 2020 election, there has been an unprecedented effort across the nation to disenfranchise Black voters and other voters of color. Many states have proposed, and often passed, laws designed to prevent Blacks from voting or to simply not count their votes once cast. Private individuals, sometimes armed, are increasingly seeking to target Black voters at the polls and in their homes to prevent them from exercising their constitutional right to vote. Election workers have been harassed and forced from their jobs leaving the nation's voting infrastructure insufficiently staffed and vulnerable to bad actors. If this November's election is to be fairly held, all voters must be able to cast their ballots free from interference and threat. To achieve this goal, the NAACP believes that DOJ monitors are essential.

As you know, the DOJ has both the statutory authority to and a long history of sending monitors to ensure that voters of color are able to fairly and freely cast their ballots. In anticipation of the 2020 General Election, the DOJ announced that it would send monitors to 44 jurisdictions in 18 states to "focus on compliance with the Voting Rights Act, and the other federal voting rights laws enforced by the division." These monitors were essential for ensuring that voter, particularly in communities of color, were able to cast their vote safely and securely.

Based upon historical data and information from the NAACP's more than 2000 units regarding anticipated trouble spots, the NAACP requests that DOJ again send monitors to the jurisdictions announced in 2020 as well to the additional jurisdictions listed. For convenience, attached is a full list on the jurisdictions, specifying 2020 jurisdictions and those additionally requested. On behalf of our members, myself, and all those who believe in protecting the right to vote, thank you and the DOJ in advance for your help.

Sincerely,

Janette McCarthy Wallace

General Counsel, NAACP