DOJ to monitor polls in 27 states for compliance with voting rights laws

• A series of arson attacks on ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington have reemphasized questions about security on Election Day.

Zoom in: The DOJ said it will monitor 86 jurisdictions on Tuesday.

• The Justice Department, which enforces federal voting rights laws, regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance during elections.
• Tuesday's effort will be coordinated by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, which will maintain contact with state and local election officials throughout the day.
• Monitors will include those working in the Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorneys' Office and the Office of Personnel Management.

Zoom out: Republican lawmakers in Missouri and Florida are seeking to block the DOJ from polling sites.

• Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft accused the DOJ of overstepping its authority and using its monitors to punish red states that have tightened voter identification laws, the Washington Post reports.

The bottom line: Any reports related to "violence, threats of violence or intimidation" at polling locations should be reported to local authorities immediately and then the DOJ, the department said.

Go deeper: Congress gripped by fears of post-election violence