DOJ to monitor Charleston polling sites for South Carolina primary runoff

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will monitor polling sites in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday as voters cast their ballots in the South Carolina Senate GOP runoff.

The DOJ will send four attorneys from its Civil Rights Division, one assistant U.S. attorney from South Carolina and one staffer within the office of the U.S. attorney for South Carolina to monitor polls in the Palmetto State’s largest city, the department noted in a release .

Through its monitoring efforts, the DOJ will “ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law” in Charleston. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 allows federal observers to monitor procedures in polling places.

Voters in South Carolina on Tuesday will decide whether Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) or Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) will take the place of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on the ballot opposite Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.

Polls opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. EDT. Under state law, South Carolinians must bring a valid photo ID to cast a ballot.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the DOJ’s monitoring efforts in Charleston mark the “next stop in our ongoing effort to ensure election transparency.” The DOJ noted it has sent more than 80 monitors to 200-plus polling locations in seven states this primary season.

“We appreciate the cooperation of the State of South Carolina, the County of Charleston, and the South Carolina United States Attorney’s Office in helping make this monitoring effort an exemplary one for promoting trust,” added Dhillon, who heads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.

In addition to South Carolina, the DOJ has sent monitors to Arizona, Florida , Michigan, Minnesota , Virginia and Wyoming for primary races. The department will also send monitors to polling places in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, with the respective primaries in those states set for Sept. 1 and 8.

“This monitoring initiative is aimed at promoting transparency and an open flow of communication between poll observers and election monitors,” the DOJ added in Tuesday’s release, noting it enforces statutes such as the Voting Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act.

During the 2022 primary season, the DOJ sent monitors to nine states, the department noted. Dhillon told Bloomberg last week the department plans to deploy a record 1,000 monitors for this fall’s midterms.