BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – With just a couple of days until Election Day, Texas and the United States Department of Justice are butting heads over who can and cannot be inside a polling location legally.
Bexar County reported record-breaking numbers, with more than 570,000 early votes cast. However, as Election Day gets closer, the Office of the Texas Secretary of State is taking a stand on the opposite side of the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Justice released a letter sparking controversy in Texas on Nov. 1. The letter said the department plans to “monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 86 jurisdictions in 27 states for the Nov. 5 general election”.
Federal poll watchers, also known as election monitors, were going to be sent to eight Texas counties, including Bexar County and Atascosa County.
KSAT reached out to the Texas Secretary of State, and the office sent this statement back:
According to the Office of the Texas Secretary of State, federal poll watchers were also not permitted in Texas in either the 2020 or 2016 presidential election.
Whether the state or the federal government gets their way on this one is not yet solidified.