Trump Campaign and RNC Plan Massive Deployment of Volunteers to Monitor 2024 Election

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have announced plans to deploy over 100,000 volunteers and attorneys to battleground states for an "election integrity" operation in the 2024 presidential election. The RNC claims this unprecedented effort is aimed at ensuring "transparency and fairness" in the election process.

According to the RNC, volunteers will be trained to observe various aspects of the electoral process, including machine testing, early voting, Election Day voting, mail ballot processing, and post-election activities such as canvasses, audits, and recounts. The party also plans to establish "election integrity hotlines " in each battleground state, where lawyers will field issues reported by poll watchers and voters.

However, the announcement has raised concerns among election experts about the potential for voter intimidation. "Having the right people to count the ballots is just as important as turning out voters on Election Day," stated former President Donald Trump. But according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, poll monitors should observe and monitor the election without violating voter privacy or disrupting the process, not work towards a specific result.

Why this matters: The Trump campaign's plans for extensive election monitoring in 2024 underscore the former president's ongoing fixation with election security and his unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. The scale of the proposed operation, with over 100,000 volunteers, has raised fears of potential voter suppression and intimidation tactics.

The RNC's ability to carry out such a large-scale operation has been met with skepticism by some experts. "I'll believe it when I see it," said election law expert Rick Hasen. "The RNC has made these kinds of claims in the past and has not been able to deliver." Despite these doubts, the Trump campaign appears determined to have a more robust legal strategy in place for contesting election outcomes in 2024, should they prove unfavorable to the former president.

Key Takeaways

• Trump campaign and RNC plan 100,000-strong "election integrity" program for 2024 election.
• Volunteers to monitor various election processes, with hotlines for reported issues.
• Concerns raised about potential voter intimidation and suppression tactics.
• Experts skeptical about RNC's ability to deliver on such a large-scale operation.
• Trump campaign aims for more robust legal strategy to contest unfavorable 2024 outcomes.