Justice Dept Issues Guidance on Federal Statutes Regarding Voting Methods and Post-Election "Audits"

[brooklynite]

Source: Department of Justice

Today the U.S. Department of Justice announced the release of two guidance documents to ensure states fully comply with federal laws regarding elections, specifically federal statutes affecting methods of voting and federal constraints related to post-election “audits.”

“The right of all eligible citizens to vote is the central pillar of our democracy, and the Justice Department will use all of the authorities at its disposal to zealously guard that right,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The guidances issued today describe certain federal laws that help ensure free, fair, and secure elections. Where violations of such laws occur, the Justice Department will not hesitate to act.”

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the right to vote for all Americans and ensuring states are complying with federal voting laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Whether through litigation or the issuance of official guidance, we are using every tool in our arsenal to ensure that all eligible citizens can exercise their right to vote free from intimidation, and have their ballots counted.”

The first guidance document, entitled “Guidance Concerning Federal Statutes Affecting Methods of Voting,” provides guidance regarding how eligible citizens cast their ballots. The guidance document addresses efforts by some states to permanently adopt their COVID-19 pandemic voting modifications, and by other states to bar continued use of those practices, or to impose additional restrictions on voting by mail or early voting. In addition, this guidance document discusses federal statutes the department enforces related to voting by mail, absentee voting and voting in person.

The second guidance document, entitled “Federal Law Constraints on Post-Election Audits,” provides information on the how states must comply with federal law when preserving and retaining election records and the criminal penalties associated with the willful failure to comply with those requirements. This guidance document also details the statutes that prohibit the intimidation of voters and the department’s commitment to act if any person engages in actions that violate the law.

Today’s announcements follow Attorney General Garland’s recent commitment to expand the Justice Department’s efforts to safeguard voting rights. For a list of the department’s actions to protect voting rights, click here.

More information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice’s website at www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot.

Complaints about discriminatory voting practices may be reported to the Voting Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.

If jurisdictions have questions about the constraints federal law places on the methods of voting they are using or propose to use, or questions about the constraints federal law places on post-election “audits” regarding protections for voters and federal election records, they should contact the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division.

For the guidance document on methods of voting, click here.

For the guidance document on post-election “audits,” click here.

Read more: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-issues-guidance-federal-statutes-regarding-voting-methods-and-post

[yaesu]

1. Red states will ignore it & the fascist supreme court will back them up. nt

[brooklynite]

2. Like the Supreme Court backed up Trump's election fraud lawsuits?

I'm honestly tired of reflexive "we know what they'll do" assertions. If you're going to assert what the Court will do, lay out a case for it.

[yaesu]

5. No, like the Supreme court destroyed the voting rights act

Supreme Court strikes down key part of Voting Rights Act
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/06/25/supreme-court-shelby-voting-rights-alabama-congress-race/2116491/

[atreides1]

7. It was Roberts dream

It seems that the Chief Justice has been against the VRA for many decades!

https://theweek.com/articles/568963/john-roberts-been-trying-gut-voting-rights-act-decades


https://www.vox.com/22575435/voting-rights-supreme-court-john-roberts-shelby-county-constitution-brnovich-elena-kagan

"Similarly, a significant faction within the Reagan administration — a faction that included future Chief Justice Roberts — pressed President Ronald Reagan to veto a 1982 bill expanding the Voting Rights Act"

Old Johnny was finally able to do, with the assistance of other like minded justices, what he'd always wanted to do...destroy the Voting Rights Act!!!

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. I don't want "guidance"

I want arrests for tampering with ballots and attempted election fraud.

These people understand only one thing: handcuffs and the sound a jail door makes when you are on the wrong side of it.

[Lonestarblue]

4. When will indictments follow for disobeying federal law in the Arizona fraudit?

The ballots were not kept secure, and the voting machines were allowed to be examined and perhaps tampered with by so-called auditors who have no expertise or experience in doing audits, thus resulting in the decertification of the machines and the need to purchase new ones.

Reminding people of the law and then doing nothing when it’s broken doesn’t help much. I’m hoping this is the first DOJ shot over the bow and more will follow.

[NullTuples]

6. Is this guidance like when Dems send McConnell a letter expressing their strong disappointment?

Or are there teeth behind it?

I'll be honest, in my opinion AG Garland is turning out to be less of the bulldog/pit bull/dobermann that we need, and more like the stereotype of a tired basset hound.

[sybylla]

8. As an election worker, this is what I see...

This "guidance" clarifies for all election officials what their legal obligations are (according to current law) to protect the right to vote and to protect the ballots and voting equipment before as well as after the fact. This is a good thing. It's putting anyone who wants to go rogue on notice. It's reminding officials of their obligations to protect the integrity of the vote at the risk of being charged with violating their oath of office or the law. It's also putting on notice the knuckleheads in some of these state legislatures that Federal law governs most aspects of federal elections and they're just p*ssing in the wind if they think wasting time on election restrictions will change that.

Do I want more? Yes. As someone said above, arrests and the sound of a jail door slamming are the only things the cult understands. That said, investigations take time and I have patience.

[NullTuples]

9. Granted, it "puts them on notice" - but are there teeth?

Especially since the US SCOTUS as of late has claimed to not have jurisdiction over state elections?