As we roll into midterm elections on Nov. 8, it seems all too unsurprising that news out of Florida is full of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis trying to stop Department of Justice election monitors from accessing polling stations in Florida. Specifically, in three counties in South Florida. Even more specifically, three counties in South Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach) that tend to vote blue. Funny how that works.
As reported by The Washington Post, Brad McVay, who serves as chief counsel for the Florida Department of State, sent a letter to the Justice Department arguing that the presence of their election monitors would somehow be “counterproductive” and could “potentially undermine confidence in the election.” His administration also argued it violated Florida state law.
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As some big picture context, the Justice Department said they’d be sending federal election monitors to more than 60 counties from the department’s civil rights division. The Justice Department made this announcement on Monday, and on the same day, McVay responded via letter that these monitors wouldn’t be allowed to inside polling places, per state law. He wrote that personnel of the Justice Department isn’t included “on the list” of folks who are allowed inside.
“Absent some evidence concerning the need for federal intrusion,” McVay wrote in part. “Or some federal statute that preempts Florida law, the presence of federal law enforcement inside polling places would be counterproductive and could potentially undermine confidence in the election.”
According to CNN, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning and said that the DOJ’s request to enter polling places was a departure from past years. According to Byrd, the Trump administration did send election monitors to a handful of counties in Florida in 2020, but they stayed outside.
Byrd said it’s not to be “confrontational in any way,” and when asked why the state didn’t refute the letter sent from the DOJ back in 2020, that entering polling places is “not permitted” under state law. Monitors can “go there and do their job,” Byrd continued. “But they have to do that job outside of the polling place.”
(If you were wondering who appointed Byrd, it was indeed DeSantis. And if you're wondering if he’s running for reelection, yes, he indeed is.)
As of Tuesday, the Justice Department said it did receive the letter. And that it still intends to have election monitors at the polling locations in question in Florida, but they will remain outside.
At long last, the 2022 midterms are here! With the battle for the House front and center, we give you a window into the key races on a final pre-election episode of The Downballot. We discuss a wide range of contests that will offer insight into how the night is going, including top GOP pickup opportunities, second-tier Republican targets, and the seats where Democrats are on offense. And with many vote tallies likely to stretch on for some time, we also identify several bellwether races in states that count quickly.