DOJ sending election observers to polls in Portland, Lewiston

The U.S. Department of Justice is sending election monitors to polls in Portland and Lewiston to oversee the Nov. 3 elections, the Maine Secretary of State’s office confirmed. 

The Department of Justice has in recent years sent observers to other states on a smaller scale, usually in response to a civil rights violation. But this comes amid several efforts by the Trump administration to assert authority over the election and following an attempt to force Maine, among other states, to hand over voter information.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said she doesn’t expect the observers will have any impact on election processes.

“Any monitors are subject to the same laws and rules as any other observer at the poll,” Bellows told Maine Morning Star. “That means they can observe what’s taking place, but they may not interact with voters, handle ballots or equipment, or disrupt voting in any way.” 

“We will monitor the monitors very carefully to ensure that they don’t cross any lines,” Bellows added.

This is the first time since Bellows became secretary of state in 2021 that federal election observers have been dispatched to Maine, which is among several states that were notified this week of the federal presence on Election Day.

The DOJ in August announced plans to send 1,000 election monitors to midterm election polling places nationwide, as first reported by Bloomberg. That’s significantly more than the 289 observers sent out for the 2022 midterm elections, and the 714 involved in the 2024 presidential election, CBS News reported.

Bellows said the DOJ observers will be among many other Election Day monitors, including those dispatched by the parties and nonpartisan groups including the League of Women Voters and ACLU.

They will dress in business casual clothing and won’t be allowed to use any DOJ identifiers. They also aren’t allowed to talk to voters inside polling places or to carry firearms.

The goal, according to letters sent by the DOJ, is to monitor for compliance with federal voting rights laws, including people with disabilities’ access to the ballot box, among other civil rights assurances. 

Portland and Lewiston are Maine’s two most populous cities and are home to the state’s largest share of immigrants. In the weeks leading up to the election, President Donald Trump has launched an aggressive campaign against noncitizen voting, including attempts to purge voter rolls and send sensitive personal information to the Department of Homeland Security with the aim of flagging potential noncitizen voters.

Last year, the DOJ sued Maine after Bellows twice rejected requests from the Trump administration for Maine’s full, unredacted voter rolls — among other information. In May, a federal judge dismissed the administration’s lawsuit, following similar legal setbacks in other states.

Bellows said her office “will do everything in our power to ensure a positive voting experience for every citizen.” She added, “voter intimidation or interference is a crime, and we will hold the DOJ monitors to the same standards and expectations as anyone else who’s at the voting point on Election Day.”

She also pointed out that anyone who is concerned can cast a ballot at their municipal clerk’s office anytime during business hours before the end of early voting on Oct. 29.

There have already been reports of voter harassment in Lewiston. This week, an employee of the Maine Wire filmed members of the immigrant community at the city clerk’s office. 

“We’ve been in close communication with the city clerk, and we understand the city of Lewiston has taken some measures to enforce order at the voting place,” Bellows said, noting the city has put up notices warning that filming or photography (outside of selfies) is prohibited at polling locations. “No one should be harassed or filmed without their consent by anyone, whether that person is purporting to be a member of the media, or there for partisan political purposes.”

The rightwing outlet alleged those seeking interpretation assistance were in some way violating voting rules. But Bellows said her office has not received a credible report that an interpreter is engaged in illegal electioneering.