The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is unveiling it’s Election Protection Task Force ahead of next week’s general elections.
The move comes as the Department of Justice announced plans to send election monitors to certain parts of Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia and Lehigh County, for the upcoming midterm election.
Come Tuesday, Election Day, members of the team will be working throughout the day on Tuesday to monitor polling places throughout the city to ensure there are no issues impacting the right to vote for any Philadelphia resident — no matter how they intend to vote.
Appearing via a remote feed at a morning event to unveil the task force, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner promised that the task force would be watching for any interference in next week’s elections and, if issues are found, the task force will come down hard to address them.
“Make no mistake, we got teeth and we are going to use them if we need to use them,” he said. “If people want to F around, they are going to find out, it’s that simple.”
He argued that “anyone who thinks they can steal vote in Philadelphia is going to pay a price,” no matter what party they may support.
Law enforcement officials said, as part of this effort, there will be uniformed officers patrolling polling places across the city in order to respond to any potential issues, like threats or harassment concerns on Election Day, to and there will be an investigative unit that will monitor issues on Tuesday, as well.
Voters who encounter any irregularities at their polling location can call the DAO Election Task Force hotline: 215–686–9641. Also, the state has set up a form where voter interference or intimidation on Election Day can be reported here.
Voters are also encouraged to contact the national nonpartisan Election Protection hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE.
Voters with questions about the election process should contact the Philadelphia City Commissioners’ Office at 215-686-VOTE.
Should voters encounter any violence or physical threats at their polling station, they are urged to call 9-1-1 immediately.
