Federal Election Monitors Deploy to Ada County Polling Places
Four federal election monitors will observe outside select polling locations in Ada County. Ada County Clerk Office spokesperson Nicole Newby said in an email that the monitors were sent by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an effort to expand election monitoring to all 50 states this year.
The monitors will operate in teams of two to randomly check polling places for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Local officials do not know in advance which specific polling locations the monitors will visit. If election monitors want to speak with voters regarding disability access, Newby said they must remain at least 250 feet away from the polling places. That distance matches the minimum requirement under state law to engage in electioneering.
Federal Monitors Wear Plain Clothes Without Firearms
The federal monitors will wear plain clothes and carry no firearms, but they will display badges provided by the Ada County Clerk’s Office. Last week, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane stated that the federal government’s decision to send election workers to Idaho was routine and that voters likely would not notice them.
Newby outlined specific instructions given to the Ada County monitors, noting that they only observe and take notes without intruding or interfering in the voting process. Monitors must dress in business casual clothing with no uniforms or pins identifying the Department of Justice. If monitors spot an issue, they must notify their team lead, who may then contact the designated local official. Monitors are forbidden from talking to voters inside polling places and cannot carry firearms, regardless of state open carry laws.
Trent Tripple Oversees Local Election Compliance Checks
Ada County Clerk Trent Tripple serves as the designated local official for the election monitors. Newby said that Tripple is excited for the monitors to learn how well elections are run locally. The monitors will follow all rules of the state and jurisdiction while conducting their ADA compliance checks throughout the county.
DOJ is sending election monitors to my county. Ada County's Republican clerk isn't worried: "This will be a good opportunity for them to kind of see how elections should be run." That's the right answer. A clean election has nothing to hide from a watcher. pic.twitter.com/X3SIbeKz5f
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