On the eve of Election Day in St. Louis, there is a potential issue brewing at polling sites that has nothing to do with the rainy weather. A lawsuit has been filed in federal court regarding the presence of federal election monitors in the city.
The United States Department of Justice intends to deploy federal monitors to 86 cities in 27 states, including St. Louis, on Election Day. However, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Attorney General Andrew Bailey, both Republicans, have taken legal action against U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department, arguing that the monitoring plans are unjust.
Ashcroft stated that state law does not permit federal monitors inside polling places in St. Louis and criticized the plan as being politically motivated. He expressed concerns about the Department of Justice’s involvement in elections under an executive order signed by President Joe Biden.
Denise Lieberman, a St. Louis election law attorney and director of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, emphasized that the federal monitors are present solely to ensure compliance with voting laws, not for political reasons. The coalition, which is nonpartisan and nonprofit, will have 500 volunteers stationed outside polling places in the St. Louis area to assist voters with any issues they may encounter.
An agreement made in 2021 between the City of St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners mandates timely access to polling places to monitor compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. This agreement arose from litigation following the April 2019 city elections and is set to expire in July 2025.
Lieberman highlighted the importance of accommodating voters with mobility issues, such as providing curbside voting for those who are unable to enter the polling place. Ashcroft defended Missouri’s election process, stating that the state prioritizes facilitating voting while preventing fraud.
The lawsuit seeks a restraining order to prevent federal monitors from being present at St. Louis polling places. The Department of Justice asserts that the 2021 agreement supersedes Missouri law and has filed a motion in response to the lawsuit. The judge has yet to make a decision on the matter.
