DOJ says FBI, ICE won’t monitor midterm polls

The Justice Department says FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees will not serve as monitors at polling places during the upcoming midterm elections. Monitors will include employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration; one Customs and Border Protection employee is also detailed to the department’s effort. They are to observe, take notes and report potential violations, without carrying firearms or interfering with voting, and may speak with willing voters after they have cast ballots. The filing came in litigation brought by the NAACP and amid civil rights groups’ concerns that federal law enforcement at polling sites could intimidate voters.