Michigan officials claimed on Tuesday that federal election monitors from the Justice Department stepped outside their role at polling places in two Michigan cities on Election Day. Michigan Advance reported.
According to Attorney General Dana Nessel's office, DOJ monitors in Dearborn and Flint pressed poll workers for details about their training, in Dearborn going so far as to ask for the training materials themselves. State law lets the federal monitors watch the process, but not question election workers or touch election materials.
The Justice Department's Michigan coordinator acknowledged that the monitors had strayed from their instructions and promised to address it with the monitors in the field.
"That coordinator confirmed that this activity that the monitors were engaging in is not consistent with how the monitors were trained, and that they would follow up with the monitors on the ground in Dearborn to remind them of what they are not permitted to do and what they are permitted to do," Angela Benander, Michigan Department of State spokeswoman, said.
Nessel spokeswoman Kim Bush told The Detroit News that her office would keep an eye on the federal monitors but has no "major concerns" for now.
The department sent 71 monitors to polling sites in seven Michigan cities, including Detroit, Grand Rapids and Warren.
By the afternoon, state officials said voting was otherwise going smoothly, with only the usual Election Day hiccups such as malfunctioning equipment.
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