LANSING, Mich. — Federal observers from the U.S. Justice Department will be at polling places in Lansing and East Lansing when voters go to the polls Nov. 3, after the department sent notices to seven Michigan cities on Wednesday.
The Civil Rights Division also notified Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Hamtramck and Warren. That is a larger footprint than in the August primary, when monitors were sent only to Lansing, East Lansing, Detroit and Hamtramck, and state officials reported no significant problems with them then.
State leaders responded Thursday. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Aghogho Edevbie, the deputy secretary of state, each described federal monitoring as an expected, routine step. Nessel added that anyone who tries to intimidate voters or election workers, or to unlawfully disrupt voting, will face action from her office.
Under state guidance, the monitors are usually federal lawyers and other department staff. They have the same standing as any public observer, so they may not talk with voters, handle ballots or touch voting equipment. Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope said the primary went smoothly with monitors present and he expects them to watch without interacting with voters again.
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