In a press release on Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Justice Department (DOJ) will be closely monitoring elections across the nation to ensure that all eligible voters’ rights are respected and to combat against potential voter fraud.
“Voting rights are constitutional rights, and they’re part of what it means to be an American,” Sessions said.
He continued, “The Department of Justice has been entrusted with an indispensable role in securing these rights for the people of this nation. This year we are using every lawful tool that we have, both civil and criminal, to protect the rights of millions of Americans to cast their vote unimpeded at one of more than 170,000 precincts across America. Citizens of America control this country through their selection of their governmental officials at the ballot box.”
“Likewise, fraud in the voting process will not be tolerated. Fraud also corrupts the integrity of the ballot,” Sessions concluded.
Sessions’ words are reminiscent of Secretary of State John Merrill’s frequent saying that, under his time in office, in Alabama it is “easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
You can report suspected voter fraud to the Secretary of State’s office here.
State and local governments have the primary responsibility for administering elections, however the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is charged with enforcing the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot on Election Day. Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, this federal division has regularly monitored all kinds of elections in the field around the country throughout every year to protect the rights of all voters, and Tuesday will be no different.
Information on reporting possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be found here.
Sessions’s DOJ is working to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation or fraud in the election process.
Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday in Alabama. These hours will not be affected by possible severe weather or school delays.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
