The Maine Secretary of State’s office has confirmed the Department of Justice will be sending monitors to polls in Portland and Lewiston on Nov. 3rd.

The department first announced their plan to send out 1,000 monitors nationwide this past August; a significant increase from the 289 observers sent out for the 2022 midterm elections. They claim they’ll be monitoring for compliance with federal voting rights laws, including people with disabilities’ access to the ballot box, among other civil rights assurances.

The push also coincides with ongoing battles between Maine and the Trump administration over voter information, which Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows twice denied access to.

Despite that, Bellows said that she doesn’t expect the monitors will impact the voting process, as they’ll be subjected to the same rules and laws as other observers. Additionally, they’ll be dressed in business casual clothing, won’t be allowed to use any DOJ identifiers, aren’t allowed to talk to voters inside polling places, and are barred from carrying firearms.

Bellows said her office “will do everything in our power to ensure a positive voting experience for every citizen.” She added that “voter intimidation or interference is a crime, and we will hold the DOJ monitors to the same standards and expectations as anyone else who’s at the voting point on Election Day.”

To read the original Bangor Daily News article, click here.