(The Center Square) – Ahead of the midterm election, Department of Justice filings revealed the federal government won’t send immigration or FBI agents to state polling places.
President Donald Trump and members of his administration floated the idea they might send Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents to observe Tuesday’s election in the months leading up to it.
In a Wednesday DOJ filing in an NAACP lawsuit against the deployment of federal agents to polling locations, the government said trained employees from the Bureau of Prisons, ATF and DEA will instead serve as election observers.
“We are not sending federal law enforcement to the polls,” Justice Department Spokesperson Kiersten Pells confirmed to The Center Square.
Despite the filings and confirmation, many across Illinois still worry there could be in-person federal interference at the polls Tuesday.
ACLU of Illinois spokesman Ed Yohnka said trained federal elections observers being sent strictly to observe the carrying out of an election isn’t as out of the ordinary as ICE or FBI agents being sent would’ve been.
“It is often true that the Department of Justice and federal officials will send observers to different parts of the country. Those observers are the same as other election observers from political parties,” Yohnka said. “Those things are perfectly appropriate, they’re perfectly consistent with what the DOJ has done for years.”
Aside from concerns of federal threats, Yohnka said there were other things voters should be aware of when it comes to voting in-person this year.
“Early voting is widely available across the state and even on election day you know in many locations you can go to another polling place to vote if it’s more convenient,” Yohnka said. “Our election system is safe and secure. It is fair and free. And it is operated by your friends and neighbors at the local level who are working to ensure that you can vote.”
Yohnka emphasized that Illinois balances election security with accessibility, noting that eligible residents can register on election day, while the state does require photo ID in a few limited instances.
“Our laws have been set in a way where we try to encourage the largest number of people to be able to go and participate in our elections,” Yohnka said. “We do not require a photo ID unless some very limited circumstances where somebody has used that ID to register online has never voted before.”
While discussions surrounding potential military or law enforcement presence remain active nationally, civil rights groups say they are prepared to respond if armed agents appear at polling locations.
Yohnka said regardless of what plans are discussed publicly, his organization and others continue to be prepared to take action if armed agents or troops do end up at polls – which he said would rely on people reporting the presence to groups like his.
“That allows groups including the Lawyers Committee, the ACLU and others to ensure that they are in a place and have the best sort of view of what’s happening,” Yohnka said. “Seeing those patterns are really going to be helpful in terms of the way that that process works.”
Early voting is open through Monday, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. through 7 p.m. Tuesday.
