MIAMI – The U.S. Department of Justice routinely sends monitors to precincts around the country to make sure that Election Day is going smoothly, but on Monday Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration objected to the oversight in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Brad McVay, the Florida Department of State’s general counsel, sent a letter to John “Bert” Russ, the DOJ’s deputy chief and elections coordinator for the voting section civil rights division, saying the state had received copies of DOJ letters to the three counties.
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“Department of Justice monitors are not permitted under Florida law,” McVay wrote, citing state statutes about who is allowed to enter a polling place, which includes law enforcement.
McVay argued that U.S. Department of Justice personnel was not included in the list and referred to the monitors as a “federal intrusion” that “would be counterproductive and could potentially undermine confidence in the election.”
McVay alleged the DOJ’s letters to Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties provided “a non-exhaustive list of federal elections statutes as the basis for this action.” McVay also mentioned a phone call with Russ to ask for “specific authorization.”
McVay informed Russ that the Florida Department of State was also sending monitors to precincts in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“These monitors will ensure that there is no interference with the voting process,” McVay wrote.
History of federal monitors’ visits to precincts in Florida counties
2012: Duval, Hendry, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Osceola
2014: Duval, Hillsborough, Lee, and Orange
2016: Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach
2018: DeSoto, Palm Beach, and Pinellas
2020: Broward, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Palm Beach
Read the letter
Local 10 News Executive Producer Natalie Morera de Varona contributed to this report.