Some states with Republican governments are trying to block electoral observation by the United States Department of Justice, breaking with a decades-old tradition in the country in an election marked by early allegations of fraud by former President Donald Trump (2017-2021).
The attorneys general of Florida, Missouri and Texas filed individual lawsuits to prevent federal observers from entering their states.
The first two had their appeals dismissed by the courts, while in Texas the attorney general reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to prohibit observers from entering voting centers this Tuesday.
“Only Texas handles elections in Texas and we are not going to be intimidated by the Department of Justice”wrote the state attorney general, the Republican Ken Paxton In a statement announcing the agreement, “no federal agent may interfere with free and fair elections in Texas”.
Observers must remain outside the voting and counting centers, at a distance of 30 meters. However, voters can speak with observer attorneys if they wish, according to the text of the agreement between the state and federal governments.
The Department of Justice deployed dozens of officials this Tuesday to 86 jurisdictions in 27 states across the country to supervise that citizens’ access to voting is respected during the elections.
One of these places is Bexar County, in southern Texas, where more than two million people live. The county sheriff, Javier Salazar, told EFE that he considers the Department of Justice as a “good ally.”
“I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want more officials to help us ensure that the elections are safe,” Salazar said.
The sheriff in turn acknowledged that on this election day there is a “high” level of anxiety compared to the 2020 elections, but indicated that the county has agents deployed throughout the region to ensure the day passes calmly.
This year’s general elections have been marked by the spread of conspiracy theories about the integrity of the elections, promoted by Republican legislators and the presidential candidate himself, Donald Trump.
The unfounded idea that thousands of undocumented migrants will try to vote in these elections has led authorities in several states, including Texas, to decide to “purge” the electoral rolls, in some cases leaving US citizens without the right to vote.
In turn, US intelligence officials have sent internal alerts to different federal government agencies about the threat of extremist groups with the intention of disrupting the electoral process.
According to documents published by the transparency NGO Property of the People, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned about an increase in the threat of “electoral violence” motivated by conspiracy theories.
Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris are fighting for the presidency of the United States this Tuesday in a close electoral contest that will set the course of the world’s leading power for the next four years. EFE
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