(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The DeSantis administration reminded the Biden-Harris DOJ that federal election monitors are not permitted inside polling locations for the Nov. 5 presidential election in a letter sent Friday.
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd addressed the letter to DOJ Civil Rights Division head Jasmyn Richardson, emphasizing that state law prohibits federal agents from entering polling places.
This letter came in response to the DOJ’s announcement that it will deploy federal agents to 86 jurisdictions across 27 states to “monitor compliance” with federal voting rights laws.
The DOJ vowed to be present in several battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
https://t.co/C4bC95Djpr pic.twitter.com/iFmW9OZdTt
— Florida Department of State (@FLSecofState) November 1, 2024
Federal investigators will also be present in Alaska, California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
Byrd affirmed in his letter that Florida officials have already been deployed to address potential security concerns.
“These monitors will ensure that there is no interference with the voting process,” he added.
Byrd stated that the “presence of federal law enforcement inside polling places would be counterproductive and could potentially undermine confidence in the election.”
DeSantis spokesperson Bryan Griffin shared the letter via X:
NEW: Florida responds to @TheJusticeDept sending federal 'election monitors' to the state:
"As a reminder, Department of Justice monitors are not permitted inside a polling place under Florida law." https://t.co/hEwLYRJrO8— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) November 1, 2024
The DOJ’s deployment of agents coincides with several dubious lawsuits against states for removing non-citizens from voter rolls ahead of the presidential election.
Several leftist users on X rebuked Byrd’s letter, making unsubstantiated claims. “Send in the National Guard then, Florida is still part of the U.S. despite what Panama Putin thinks,” one user wrote.
Another individual added, “That is utterly ridiculous. Florida is operating as a secessionist state. I hate the government here. It deserves to be held accountable and voted out.”
A third user suggested hysterically that “trump gotta cheat.”