Applaud Judge for Protecting Election Workers

A federal judge has delivered another important victory for voting rights just days before the midterm elections! U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Justice Department from threatening or coercing election workers into stopping the processing of ballots. Her ruling protects election officials from federal intimidation and helps ensure that eligible Americans can have their votes counted without unnecessary interference.

The decision comes after the Justice Department sent letters to election officials in all 50 states threatening criminal prosecution and imprisonment over ballot-record preservation requirements. The administration has also demanded that officials set aside ballots it suspects may have been cast by noncitizens, despite serious questions about the accuracy of its voter data. These actions have placed election workers in an impossible position: follow established election procedures and risk federal threats, or comply with demands that could unlawfully disenfranchise eligible voters.

Judge Thompson refused to allow this pressure to continue unchecked. In her ruling, she condemned the administration's intimidation and attempts at coercion, recognizing that election workers were being forced to choose between fulfilling their legal responsibilities and facing the threat of criminal investigation. Her order temporarily prohibits the Justice Department from using threats or coercion to interfere with ballot processing and from demanding that local officials segregate or refuse to count ballots based on the federal government's disputed allegations. The ruling follows a lawsuit brought by labor unions and civil rights organizations fighting to protect election workers and voters alike.

With millions of Americans already casting their ballots, Judge Thompson's intervention comes at a critical moment for our democracy. Election workers are public servants who deserve to carry out their responsibilities without political intimidation or threats of prosecution. By placing limits on the Justice Department's actions, Thompson has taken an important step toward protecting election integrity, defending the rule of law, and ensuring that voters are not disenfranchised because of unproven allegations.

Add your name to applaud Judge Trina Thompson for standing up to the Trump Justice Department's intimidation tactics, protecting election workers from threats and coercion, and defending every eligible American's right to have their vote counted!

(Photo source: Beth LaBerge/KQED)