DOJ Monitors 2 New Hampshire Cities as Voter Roll Dispute Shadows Primary

Q: What specific anomalies are federal election monitors looking for in Manchester and Nashua today?

Federal monitors in Manchester and Nashua are not looking for one single named “anomaly.” They are watching for any problems that could violate federal voting-rights or election-law standards at polling places. Based on the Justice Department’s statement and related reporting, that includes polling locations not opening or operating properly during legal voting hours, accessibility problems for voters with disabilities, failures to follow ballot-handling and security procedures, and any signs that eligible voters are being improperly blocked, intimidated, or treated unequally. They also are positioned to watch for registration or ballot-processing issues covered by federal laws such as the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and protections for military and overseas voters. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon also said monitors would be checking that voting is “accurate” and that each lawful vote is counted equally, which in practical terms means they may note irregularities suggesting someone is voting who should not be, though New Hampshire officials have emphasized that voter fraud in the state has historically been very low. So, the focus today is broad: polling-place access, lawful procedures, ballot security, equal treatment of voters, and any irregularities that could affect whether eligible citizens can vote and have their ballots counted properly.

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 8

Four DOJ staffers each were deployed to Manchester and Nashua on Sept. 8 to monitor New Hampshire polling sites during the state’s primary.
The Justice Department said the teams were there to ensure transparency, ballot security and compliance with federal law, calling the primary a critical test of voter confidence.
The monitoring comes after New Hampshire’s secretary of state rejected a federal request last year for non-public voter rolls, adding friction between state and federal officials.
Trump’s continued false claims of widespread election fraud have heightened the backdrop, while Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in July monitors would also be sent to 5 other states.