Federal observers may be at a polling place near you on Election Day, and the NAACP wants to make sure voters know their rights.
Imagine the scenario: You show up to vote on Election Day, and an observer from the Department of Justice approaches you.
"May we speak with you?"
That's Anthony Ashton, a lawyer for the NAACP. He says voters are under no obligation to respond to the DOJ monitors or make eye contact with them or even be polite.
"They should not be speaking to anyone before they have voted," Ashton says. "Anything that might be seen as discouraging or intimidating people with regard to voting, it would be illegal. And it doesn't matter who does it."
In the past, the NAACP has welcomed observers from the Department of Justice to help make sure minority voters are not being intimidated. Now, they’re warning voters that they should get a physical description of anyone trying to intimate them, and that includes monitors from the DOJ.
"We want everyone to know their rights before going to the polls," says Gaylene Kanoyton with the NAACP. "Everyone who's qualified should have a right to vote and not be turned away, and should not be intimidated."
She says it's important to remember that neutral observers are there to watch what’s happening at a polling place, not to influence or coerce.
