The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it will be monitoring compliance with federal civil rights laws in Portage County, Ohio, during early voting and on Election Day. This decision comes in response to concerns raised by voters in the county regarding intimidation, surveillance, and the collection of personal information related to the electoral process.
The issue arose after Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski posted on Facebook in September, encouraging residents to write down the addresses of supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. The post suggested that this information could be used in the future to track individuals who had shown support for Harris and potentially link them to immigrants entering the country.
Zuchowski's post included screen grabs from articles that criticized Harris' stance on open borders and linked it to issues of crime and the destruction of small towns. The sheriff's remarks sparked concerns about potential voter intimidation and threats to the electoral process.
Portage County, located approximately 30 miles southeast of Cleveland, has now come under the scrutiny of the Justice Department, which stated that it regularly deploys staff to monitor compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections across the country.
The department's intervention aims to ensure that voters in Portage County can exercise their rights without fear of intimidation or interference. By monitoring the situation closely during early voting and on Election Day, the Justice Department seeks to uphold the integrity of the electoral process and safeguard the rights of all voters in the county.
