Feds plan to monitor elections in 8 Massachusetts cities

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Members of the U.S. Department of Justice will be in eight diverse Massachusetts cities next week, monitoring the election process to protect voters' rights, the agency announced.

The DOJ on Friday said that it plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 86 jurisdictions across 27 states. That includes the cities of Everett, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lowell, Malden, Methuen, Quincy and Salem in Massachusetts.

Nicole Crispo, Quincy's elections chair, said the DOJ will be watching to ensure every eligible voter is given the chance to cast a ballot. That effort includes offering ballots in multiple languages at every precinct.

"We're proud to say we do that with Chinese on our ballot with all of our instructions," she said.

The Rhode Island cities of Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket are also on the DOJ's list.

Election monitoring will be coordinated by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division and will include personnel from several departments.

Friday is the final day of early in-person voting in Massachusetts, although mail-in ballots will continue to be accepted through Election Day. Nearly one-third of all registered Massachusetts voters have already returned their ballots.

Election officials in Quincy reported seeing about 600 voters on Friday. Brockton reported about 800.

"People need it," Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan said about early voting. "Because here in Brockton, we're not a wealth community in terms of our financial ledger. We're wealthy in terms of our people — people working two or three jobs. So to be able to accommodate their needs and their desires, I think, is really part of being a public servant."

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