The U.S. Justice Department has released plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in two Mississippi counties for Tuesday’s general election.
The department will assign federal observers with the Civil Rights Division to monitor the election in Madison and Panola Counties to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Civil Rights Acts, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
Additional areas across the nation that will be monitored by federal observers include:
- Pawtucket and Woonsocket, Rhode Island
- Prince William County, Virginia
- Union County, New Jersey
Earlier this year, a federal court approved a consent decree to resolve the department’s claims under Sections 203 and 208 of the Voting Rights Act in several areas of the U.S., with the decree authorizing federal observers to monitor election day activities in each county’s polling places.
Civil Rights Division personnel is also available to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website or by telephone at (800) 253-3931.
