U.S. Department of Justice Will Monitor Polls in Alameda County

The U.S. Department of Justice civil rights division will conduct in-person monitoring of polling places in 28 jurisdictions in 18 states today, including in Alameda and Napa counties in the Bay Area, Justice Department officials said Monday. Although state and local governments have primary responsibility for administering elections, the Department of Justice said its civil rights division is charged with enforcing the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all eligible citizens to cast ballots on election day.

Civil rights division staff members will also be available by telephone to receive complaints from citizens in all states and jurisdictions nationwide related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws at (800) 253-3931 or (202) 307-2767. Allegations of election fraud are handled by the 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the criminal division’s public integrity section. Complaints related to election fraud may be directed to local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices or local FBI offices, which consult with the public integrity section in Washington, D.C. Department of Justice officials said complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. They should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted, according to the Department of Justice.

Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Department of Justice has regularly monitored elections in the field in jurisdictions around the country to protect the rights of voters. The Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color or membership in a minority language group. In addition, the act requires certain jurisdictions to provide language assistance during the election process.

Among other things, the department’s monitoring will gather information on whether voters are subject to different voting qualifications or procedures on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group and whether jurisdictions are complying with the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

By Bay City News

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