**Texas Rejects DOJ Monitors Inside Polling Stations**

The Texas Secretary of State's Office has firmly declined the U.S. Justice Department’s intention to send federal monitors to oversee polling sites within the state on Election Day. Secretary of State Jane Nelson stated that under Texas law, federal observers are prohibited from entering polling places where ballots are cast or central counting stations where votes are tallied.

The Justice Department had announced plans to dispatch monitors to 86 jurisdictions in 27 states, including Texas, to ensure adherence to federal voting rights laws during the elections. Despite this federal initiative, Texas officials assert that their state laws supersede these efforts. "Rest assured that Texas has robust processes and procedures in place to ensure that eligible voters may participate in a free and fair election," Nelson emphasized in her letter to the DOJ.

Governor Greg Abbott echoed Nelson’s stance via a social media post on X, reinforcing that federal monitors would not be permitted inside Texas polling stations on Election Day, November 5. This move by Texas officials underscores a clear state-federal tension regarding election oversight and the interpretation of voting rights laws.

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