The Caroleene Dobson campaign Monday accused a longstanding Department of Justice’s (DOJ) election monitoring program as “fraud and intimidation.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Republican nominee in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, who noted that Democratic nominee Shomari Figures previously worked for the DOJ, described the department’s role as “like referees wearing the other team’s jersey.”
“For all we know, these so-called monitors were hand-picked by Shomari Figures, who worked directly alongside Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland in the Justice Department,” said Dobson campaign spokesperson Drew Dickson.
Figures in a statement Monday questioned Dobson’s intent in claiming potential election interference, saying that he believes “her view is that elections are only fair if Republicans win” and “to prepare for not winning, she wants to lay the groundwork for casting doubt on the outcome.”
“Does Mrs. Dobson believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square? I’m sure she would say ‘no.’ But does she believe Donald Trump won fair and square in 2016? I’m sure she would say ‘yes,’” the statement said.
The DOJ’s monitoring initiative, a nationwide Election Day program, appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Hutchins, III to address any voting-related concerns, including potential voter intimidation and fraud, within the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alabama’s Southern District, which includes parts of the 1st, 2nd, and 7th congressional districts. Both Alabama’s Northern and Middle Districts have also appointed an election officer.
The program dates back to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and has been employed by both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Dickson expressed distrust for the process.
“We should take every opportunity to restore the public’s confidence, but claiming Shomari Figures’ buddies from the Justice Department can be impartial election referees does just the opposite,” he said.
Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which now includes most of Mobile County, Montgomery, and several rural counties, is “likely Democratic,” according to the Cook Political Report, meaning the race is “not considered competitive at this point but [has] the potential to become engaged.”
Figures accused Dobson of undermining public trust in democratic processes, linking her statements to rhetoric that fueled the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
“As an attorney, Mrs. Dobson should be ashamed of herself for trying to undermine faith and confidence in democracy. We saw how this sort of stuff played out on January 6, 2021,” Figures said in a statement.
Figures pointed to former President Donald Trump’s administration utilizing the Election Day program, both in 2018 and 2020.
He also noted that the DOJ has a long history of election oversight in Alabama, due to the state’s long history of voter suppression.
Dickson said that Dobson accepts the 2020 election results but is also aware that public confidence in election integrity is currently at an all-time low.
Most voters believe the 2024 election will be well-run, both locally and nationwide, according to the Pew Research Center, with 92% of voters trusting their community’s election process. Across the U.S. overall, 73% feel the same, a figure higher than 2020’s but still lower than 2018’s.
The DOJ’s Election Day monitoring program, established in 1965 under the Voting Rights Act, aims to ensure fair access to the polls and prevent voter intimidation, discrimination, and fraud, according to the DOJ Civil Rights Division. The department says the election monitoring program aims to protect voting rights and uphold election integrity, stating that all citizens must be able to vote “without interference or discrimination” and that election workers should be able to perform their duties safely.
Historically, DOJ sent monitors and federal observers, recruited by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to jurisdictions with documented histories of voter suppression — such as Alabama and other southern states — to observe the election process and report on compliance with federal voting laws.
In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision changed the DOJ’s election monitoring program by eliminating the preclearance formula of the Voting Rights Act, which mandated federal review of election law changes in certain states.
The DOJ still deploys election monitors in select areas, particularly in locations with active court orders for federal observation or where DOJ identifies specific needs.
Figures said that DOJ has monitored elections in Alabama since 1965 because of Alabama’s history of voter suppression, and said “the state is up to its old tricks again.”
“Not just with the recent efforts to remove voters from the rolls just before an election, but Mrs. Dobson knows that she is running in a district that was literally created because of Alabama’s attempts to suppress the voting power of Black people,” Figures said. “And judges appointed by Donald Trump made this determination.”
This story is from alabamareflector.com.
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