A federal judge’s ruling in the mid-1980s locked Republicans out of poll watching for over three decades. This ruling, handed down in New Jersey, made it illegal for Republicans to monitor polling stations during national elections. And the most troubling part? The Democrats kept renewing this ruling every five to eight years, ensuring no GOP presence at polling stations.
This ban continued uninterrupted until 2020. Yes, you read that right. For more than 30 years, Democrats controlled the process, preventing Republicans from being able to observe or report on what was happening at the polls. It was an unchecked monopoly on election oversight.
When the judge who initially handed down the ruling passed away, the Democrats didn’t miss a beat. They had the new judge, appointed by Obama, continue the practice. However, this time, the judge saw the absurdity of it all and refused to renew the decree. This was a turning point, and 2020 marked the first time Republicans were able to have professional poll watchers at polling stations like Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.
What followed was telling. After finally being allowed into polling stations, GOP observers reported a series of irregularities that raised major concerns. It makes you wonder—how many shenanigans were happening for decades without anyone there to call them out?
The idea that for all those years, no Republican was allowed to watch the process is, frankly, staggering. It undermines the very integrity of the electoral process, and the effects are still being felt. If oversight had been balanced all along, would we have seen these irregularities earlier? Would the integrity of past elections have been preserved better? The story of this prolonged exclusion reveals just how much was hidden for so long.
This may be the most corrupt thing I’ve ever heard in my life
A Democrat federal judge made it illegal for Republicans to be poll watchers since the 80’s. Democrats have been renewing the injunction every 5 years. This only ended in 2020
READ THAT AGAIN
“Something else people… pic.twitter.com/ecb0xJtXE1
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) March 18, 2025
Sources:
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/09/rnc-ballot-security-consent-decree-328995
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/09/576858203/decades-old-consent-decree-lifted-against-rncs-ballot-security-measures
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/the-gop-just-received-another-tool-for-suppressing-votes/550052/
