A large task force will be put in place in order to protect against voting fraud and monitor polling locations in Philadelphia on Election Day.
“This is probably the most important midterm election in at least a generation, so to make sure every vote counts and our election runs smoothly on November 6th, our Election Fraud Task Force will be ready to respond to issues at the polls,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement on Nov. 1.
The Election Fraud Task Force, whose main goals are to prevent electioneering and illegal voter intimidation, was created four years ago. It was most recently utilized when a special election in Kensington exposed suspicious polling practices in April, reported the Philly Voice.
The group is made up of at least 60 assistant district attorneys and 20 specially-assigned detectives this year, who will be stationed at polling places all across the city starting at 7 a.m.
Krasner’s office increased the number of individuals on the task force since the 2016 presidential elections, where there were around 60 total staffers in the group.
In addition to the task force, there will be an Election Day hotline connected to the DA’s office open during the day for any voting-related questions, according to the Philly Voice.
On Penn’s campus, students are also preparing to vote, propelled by the actions of Penn Leads the Vote, a University-funded, student-run organization.
The non-partisan group is working to increase the number of voters from 2014, when less than 20 percent of eligible Penn students cast a ballot. Through the work of the Penn Voter Engagement Council, groups like Penn Democrats, College Republicans, and the Undergraduate Assembly are encouraging Quakers to vote.
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