SALT LAKE CITY — It was a "party at the polls" as community groups served up food, gave out stickers and buttons and urged people to get out and vote.
The event, held Friday at a community center next to the only dropbox on Salt Lake City's west side, brought out a big crowd. People FOX 13 News spoke with were ready to vote. Some brought their mail-in ballots to deposit in the secure dropbox.
"I think it’s important for our voices to be heard," said Sara Slaughter. "You know, we need to make sure we’re not afraid to speak out and be heard."
Freddy Valerio had reasons to vote.
"I believe it’s important because what we’re facing is a system that doesn’t necessarily care for us," he said.
Henderson meets with DOJ; voter-rights groups plan to monitor the election monitors:
This year's elections are important with new congressional districts, some very competitive legislative races and increased federal scrutiny on Utah. The Trump administration plans to send U.S. Department of Justice election monitors to Salt Lake County to monitor voting for any potential civil rights issues.
But a number of voter-rights groups tell FOX 13 News they will have their own presence at voting centers across the state.
"We’re going to be out monitoring the election process. That was always the plan. It’s part of a national, nonpartisan election program," said Alison Griffith with the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah.
The ACLU of Utah, the League of Women Voters of Utah, the Disability Law Center and the NAACP have said they intend to have people out to act as poll watchers. Some were doing it before the DOJ announced plans to deploy its election monitors. Others have told FOX 13 News they now intend to "monitor the monitors."
Griffith said the poll watchers are another resource for voters if there are issues that pop up or questions that need to be answered. The ACLU has also launched a national hotline to report any issues, 1-866-OUR-VOTE. For the first time ever, Griffith said, the hotline will offer language assistance in Navajo. In San Juan County, voter language access in Navajo has been the subject of litigation that led to the Justice Department deploying monitors to that area of the state for years now.
The DOJ's presence under the Trump administration comes at a time when Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson has been sued for access to private voter information (she argued federal and state law prohibit it and a federal judge recently rejected the DOJ's demand). Lt. Gov. Henderson, who is Utah's chief elections officer, has also been told she is under investigation by the DOJ and threatened with criminal prosecution.
Voter-rights groups, including the League of Women Voters of Utah and the NAACP, have intervened in the court battles to side with Lt. Gov. Henderson, arguing that the Trump administration is seeking to build a national database that could target people for political reasons and that Utah's elections are safe and secure.
"It does add a new wrinkle, but it doesn’t change what we’re there for," Griffith said of the DOJ's presence in Utah. "Our goal is to make sure every eligible voter has access to the ballot and is able to participate in a free and fair election."
Asked if voters should be nervous with DOJ election monitors at voting centers, Griffith replied: "Not the presence of the DOJ."
"I think there is no reason to be nervous about voting, casting your constitutional right to participate in an election," she said. "I think the idea of the narrative that is being cast at the national level is disturbing and people should be aware of that. If it makes them uncomfortable? they should utilize other forms of voting. There are secure dropboxes."
Lt. Gov. Henderson, who met last week with Justice Department officials, told FOX 13 News at the time she does not anticipate problems. Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman told FOX 13 News she will treat them all "like any other election monitor."
"They will be required to follow state and federal law," she said.
In southeastern Utah, flooding has washed out roads and bridges. Lt. Gov. Henderson's office said they were in contact with local election officials to ensure people were still able to vote in person or using a dropbox.