The US Department of Justice has deployed 1,000 election monitors throughout the country as voters head to the polling stations for the crucial midterms.
Millions of voters will hit the polls today (3 November) to decide whether the Democrats or the Republicans will control Congress for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term.
But things haven’t gone smoothly throughout the US, with Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins sharing footage of her campaign office after it was vandalised with red paint and the words ‘Blood on her hands’ were written on the ground outside.
Collins’ chief of staff Katie Brown told Fox News: “This is another incident in a series and the second attempt at our Biddeford office to intimidate the Senator and her staff. These tactics are disturbing, but not effective. Our staff is undeterred and on the job.”
Biddeford police are investigating.
Red paint was used to vandalise outside Maine Senator Susan Collins’ campaign office (X)
The same office was previously targeted by vandals in September, and Collins, 73, said that just one week prior her home had also been vandalised.
“About a week ago, someone threw eggs all over our garage door, the front porch, window (and) front door,” she told WVOM.
“That’s just so unacceptable. I think it shows, unfortunately, the level that politics—even in the great state of Maine—have degenerated to.”
Collins’ challenger Democratic state Senator Troy Jackson, has condemned the vandalism.
“There’s no place for this in Maine. Vandalism and intimidation are wrong, full stop. Senator Collins and her staff should be able to do their jobs without anyone defacing their office, and I condemn whoever did this,” Jackson said in a statement.
The results of tonight’s election will shape the last two years of Trump’s presidency.
Trump’s Republican party currently controls the Senate.
To change that, Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the 100-member Senate to win the majority, and most competitive races are in historically red states.
More than 57 million people had already cast ballots as of Monday, with turnout surpassing the early vote four years ago in many closely watched states.
Voters have been heading to the polls across the US (Ryan MURPHY / AFP via Getty Images)
With the stakes for the midterms so high, the US Department of Justice has launched its biggest ever monitoring effort, with around 1,000 election observers being sent out to all 50 states for the first time ever.
The observers are tasked with checking compliance with federal voting rights statutes
In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice said:“Election integrity has been one of the top priorities for this Administration and this Division.
“I am very proud we are deploying the largest monitoring effort in DOJ history, and pursuing transparency for elections in an assertive and nondiscriminatory manner.”
However, the move has been criticised by some, with Donya Khadem of NAACP Legal Defense Fund telling the Los Angeles Times: “Law enforcement agencies with sworn officers have never before been recruited as poll monitors.
“It’s unlawful and serves the plain purpose of intimidating voters.”
At the time of writing, the first polling stations have now closed, with the rest set to follow in the coming hours.
Results will begin to trickle through shortly after.
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