Groups like Common Cause Texas and the Department of Justice are monitoring the polls to ensure all Texans can cast their ballots fairly 

Houston, TX – After Common Cause Texas and a coalition of civil rights and pro-democracy organizations called for federal observers to monitor the 2022 Midterm Election in Harris County, the Justice Department announced its plans to monitor the County’s compliance with federal voting rights laws on Election Day. With our Election Protection presence in 28 counties, bolstered by Federal support in key jurisdictions, Common Cause Texas is ensuring that every voter can cast their ballot without barriers, intimidation, or undue burden.

“All Texans deserve to be able to cast their ballots easily and free from intimidation and suppression tactics,” said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas. “Antics seen in Harris County have demonstrated exactly why our election protection work is critical to maintaining the integrity of our elections, and we are grateful the Department of Justice will be helping to ensure all Texas voters can cast their ballots fairly.”

Days before the start of early voting, Texas Secretary of State John Scott sent an alarming and unusual letter to the Harris County Elections Administrator unfairly attacking the integrity of the county’s election system. The letter also announced that the Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, a candidate on the ballot, would be sending an unauthorized “task force” to police the election in Harris County, ultimately spurring federal observers to monitor the jurisdiction for voting rights compliance. 

For the 2022 Midterm Election, Common Cause Texas is deploying nonpartisan poll monitors to polling places in counties across Texas during the early voting period through Election Day. Nonpartisan poll monitors help voters overcome confusing voting rules, outdated infrastructure, rampant misinformation, intimidation, and needless obstacles to the ballot box.

All volunteers in the Election Protection Program go through extensive training and receive support from our Election Protection headquarters throughout the voting period. Volunteers are trained to identify and address problems at the polls and escalate what they cannot fix to headquarters for further assistance. Poll monitors submit reports from each voting location they visit, which serves to document the strengths of each county’s election administration and identifies areas for improvement for the next election cycle.

“Despite election misinformation and intimidation attempts, Texans remain passionate about our democracy and are eager to make their voices heard,” said Gutierrez. “Texas voters can feel confident and safe casting their ballots, and we encourage all voters to call 866-OUR-VOTE to report any issues they encounter and to receive assistance at the polls.”

Voters can easily identify our nonpartisan volunteers by their black-and-white “Election Protection” shirts, which display the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline number. Voters may call or text the hotline to ask questions about their voting rights and to report issues at the polls. Dallas County, Harris County, and Waller County will be monitored by the Department of Justice.

To learn more about the 2022 Election Protection Program, click here.