DOJ Investigates Somali Interpreters Accused of Coaching Voters and Handling Ballots at Maine Pollin

Federal authorities are reviewing surveillance footage from Lewiston City Hall following allegations that interpreters accompanying Somali voters improperly influenced their choices and handled ballots, prompting concerns from Sen. Susan Collins about compliance with Maine election laws.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing surveillance footage from a polling location in Lewiston, Maine, following allegations that Somali-language interpreters improperly assisted voters, handled ballots and attempted to influence their selections during early voting ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern about the reported activities, warning that individuals accompanying voters into polling booths must comply with state election laws and cannot direct how ballots are cast.

“Certainly only Americans should be voting in American elections. It is troubling to me if people are being accompanied into voting booths and handling ballots in a way that is not sanctioned by law,” Collins said, according to reporting cited by the Daily Mail.

The allegations originated with The Maine Wire’s investigation, which obtained approximately 140 hours of security camera footage from Lewiston City Hall through a public records request. The footage covers early voting activities beginning Oct. 13 and shows interpreters associated with local nonprofit organizations accompanying Somali-speaking voters through the voting process.

The outlet reported that some interpreters appeared to point at ballots, handle voting materials and assist multiple individuals, raising questions about whether their conduct exceeded the assistance permitted under Maine law.

U.S. Attorney for Maine Andrew Benson confirmed that federal authorities were examining the allegations and footage.

“We review all evidence concerning complaints of voter intimidation and election interference, including the video from Lewiston’s early voting at City Hall,” Benson told The Robinson Report.

“We will not tolerate threats to the integrity of our elections, and we look forward to working with the Attorney General’s Office and the Secretary of State’s office to defend our democracy,” he added.

The investigation follows several days of reporting by Maine Wire journalist Jon Fetherston, who said he observed interpreters accompanying elderly Somali voters into the early voting area and interacting with their ballots.

Fetherston reported Oct. 20 that interpreters were “talking to people and pointing at the ballots,” adding that he had observed individuals touching voting materials.

The outlet subsequently obtained surveillance recordings that it says provide additional evidence of conduct potentially violating state election laws.

According to its Oct. 30 report, more than 200 Somali-speaking voters appeared to receive assistance from a relatively small group of interpreters during the recorded period. The outlet alleged that some interpreters were associated with nonprofit organizations engaged in political organizing and voter transportation.

The recordings reportedly show interpreters entering voting areas with individuals, gesturing toward ballots and, in some instances, appearing to handle or mark voting materials.

Those observations have not resulted in publicly announced criminal charges or official findings that the individuals shown committed election fraud.

Under Maine Revised Statutes, Title 21-A, Section 672, voters who cannot read or mark their ballots because of a physical disability, illiteracy or religious faith may request assistance from another person.

The statute permits voters to select an assistant, provided that person is not their employer, an agent of their employer or an officer or agent of their labor union.

Importantly, the law prohibits assistants from telling voters how to make their selections or otherwise influencing their choices in violation of state election laws.

Voters may also request assistance from one or more election officials. A privately selected assistant does not need to be a registered voter or of voting age.

The law therefore permits assistance with reading and marking a ballot when requested by an eligible voter, but prohibits directing the voter’s choices. The number of people permitted to assist also depends on whether the assistance comes from election officials or a privately selected individual.

The Maine Wire alleged that some interpreters approached voters without being asked for assistance and that more than one individual sometimes accompanied a voter.

Lewiston election officials have already intervened in at least one reported incident.

According to an account published by The Robinson Report, City Clerk Kathy Montejo clarified that an election warden instructed an interpreter to leave the voting area after the interpreter approached a voter who had not requested help.

The publication corrected an earlier claim that Montejo personally had the interpreter removed for electioneering.

Lewiston officials subsequently distributed printed guidance explaining the rules governing voter assistance.

The allegations have also drawn attention from Republican candidates participating in local elections.

Janet Beaudoin, a Republican candidate for Maine House District 94, said an interpreter accompanying a voter approached her and asked whether she was a Democrat.

According to Beaudoin, the interpreter indicated that he would tell the voter to support her if she belonged to the Democratic Party.

Lewiston City Councilor Bret Martel, a Republican running for House District 95, also reported concerns about political activity near the voting area.

Martel said individuals carrying political signs had entered City Hall, raising questions about whether campaign-related activities were occurring within restricted areas around the polling location.

Maine election law generally prohibits electioneering within 250 feet of a polling place entrance, subject to the statutory restrictions and exceptions.

The allegations have unfolded amid a separate dispute over journalists recording activity at Lewiston City Hall.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows confirmed that her office received complaints alleging that voters were being subjected to intrusive photography, filming and harassment.

According to the Portland Press Herald’s reporting, some voters and community advocates accused Maine Wire reporters of targeting Somali residents as they attempted to cast ballots.

The outlet has denied wrongdoing and maintained that its reporting was intended to document potential election-law violations.

Lewiston officials posted notices reminding visitors that photographing or recording voters within 15 feet is prohibited under Maine election law.

The controversy has placed additional attention on Lewiston’s Somali-American community, one of the largest in New England.

Somali immigrants began settling in Lewiston more than two decades ago, and the city has since developed a substantial Somali-American population, including naturalized U.S. citizens eligible to participate in federal and state elections.

Federal law requires voters in U.S. federal elections to be American citizens. Being born outside the United States or requiring language assistance does not establish that an individual is ineligible to vote.

Naturalized citizens have the same federal voting rights as other eligible American citizens, and federal law provides certain exceptions to English-language naturalization requirements for qualifying applicants.

The Maine Wire’s footage and reporting raise questions about whether particular interpreters complied with voter-assistance restrictions. They do not, by themselves, establish that the voters receiving assistance were noncitizens or that their ballots were illegally cast.

Federal authorities have also announced additional election oversight measures in Maine.

According to an Oct. 30 Justice Department announcement, Benson appointed Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Osborn and Andrew McCormack as district election officers responsible for overseeing complaints involving election fraud and voting rights during the Nov. 3 general election.

The department separately announced plans to send federal election observers to Lewiston and Portland.

Bellows said she welcomed federal observers, describing their presence as an additional means of monitoring election administration and maintaining public confidence.

The Justice Department’s review of the Lewiston footage remains ongoing. Authorities have not announced whether the recordings establish unlawful voter influence, improper ballot handling or other election-related offenses.

With Election Day approaching, Collins has called attention to the need for voting assistance to remain within legal boundaries, while federal investigators examine whether the conduct documented at Lewiston City Hall violated those requirements.

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