Reduced oversight of poll monitors boosts anxiety

Armed poll “monitors” stationed at voting places may seem unique to elections in foreign countries. They’re not.

Not very long ago, that happened in the United States, and there’s some concern history could repeat itself this year.

The divided nation has been hurtling toward a future of more confrontation and possible political violence as the November election approaches.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has called for thousands of civilians to monitor polling places, especially in heavily Democratic, urban areas. In states with open-carry laws — California is not one of them — those monitors could bring guns with them.

They’ve been doing that at demonstrations, including one outside and inside the Michigan state Capitol in the spring over coronavirus stay-at-home orders. The president has broadly encouraged such protests.

Trump has also talked about deploying police and Department of Justice officials to polls, contending there will be — with no evidence — widespread voter fraud.

States have various laws governing what poll watchers and monitors — and law enforcement agencies — can and cannot do. But what no longer exists is a nationwide consent decree that sought to prohibit voter-intimidation tactics like the ones used by the Republican National Committee nearly 40 years ago.

In 1981, a group called the “National Ballot Security Task Force” patrolled New Jersey polling places largely in minority communities. Members of the group stopped and challenged voters, and in some cases demanded they produce documentation that they were registered to vote.

It turned out that effort was funded and organized by the RNC and the New Jersey Republican Party, and included off-duty police officers who were equipped with guns and two-way radios. The guards also posted signs that it was a crime to falsify ballots or otherwise violate election laws. There was no indication it was a Republican operation, according to reports.

The Democratic Party accused the Republicans of voter suppression and other violations of the Voting Rights Act and litigation followed. Rather than a trial, the parties agreed to settle in a court-enforced consent decree prohibiting certain “ballot security” activities. The Republicans did so without an admission of guilt.

“If the RNC ever violated