Politics
DOJ election observers to monitor ballot processing in Multnomah County
Federal monitors are expected at Multnomah County’s elections office on Nov. 3, though officials say they will have no authority beyond that of other public observers. Oregon officials say strict rules bar observers from handling ballots or interfering with election workers.
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send an unspecified number of Civil Rights Division monitors to Multnomah County on Nov. 3 to observe election operations, including the acceptance and processing of ballots, Oregon officials said Friday.
The county, home to Portland and Oregon’s largest population, is among jurisdictions nationwide selected for federal monitoring. The DOJ told state elections officials in an email Thursday that its monitors would observe and take notes, and would report any issues to a team lead.
“They’re just observers,” Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said. “They have to follow the same rules that everybody else does.”
Those rules prohibit observers from speaking with election workers, interrupting staff who are assisting voters, photographing or recording sensitive information, or touching ballots. Secretary of State Tobias Read, a Democrat, said the state would follow the law and ensure the DOJ does too. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden also emphasized that observers cannot interfere with Oregon’s elections.
The DOJ did not explain why it chose Multnomah County. The department has said it prioritizes counties with competitive races. Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, which includes part of Multnomah County, is the state’s most competitive; Democratic incumbent Janelle Bynum is favored to win reelection, according to the report.
The deployment comes amid a broader federal monitoring effort. The DOJ previously told Bloomberg it could send as many as 1,000 observers nationwide. Counties in several states, including Washington, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota and Texas, have also been notified that monitors will be present.
The plan has prompted concern among some election observers, given President Donald Trump’s repeated, unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud and his efforts to assert new authority over elections. Federal monitors at a primary in Wyoming’s most populous county earlier this year were accused of acting aggressively, including trying to interview voters.
Oregon and the Trump administration have also clashed over election matters. Oregon successfully challenged the administration’s demand for sensitive voter data, and the state joined lawsuits against a Trump executive order seeking to change rules for mail-in voting. The Supreme Court barred that rule from affecting this year’s election.
The DOJ email said its monitors would wear business-casual clothing without pins identifying them as department staff and would look for compliance with federal election laws. Oregon officials say their access in Multnomah County will be limited to the same public-observation rules that apply to everyone.