Middlesex County Polling Places Being Monitored By Department Of Justice

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ— Middlesex County is currently being monitored by the Department of Justice to make sure they're complying with all federal voting rights laws-- the only county in New Jersey to be monitored.

While some aspects of voting are left up to the state and local authorities-- like poll times, what type of ballot machines, and ballot selfies-- enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is left to the Department of Justice.

“The bedrock of our democracy is the right to vote, and the Department of Justice works tirelessly to uphold that right not only on Election Day, but every day,” Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said in a statement.

67 jurisdictions across 28 states will be monitored by over 500 DOJ officials, as shown in the map below. The lighter the purple, the less jurisdictions being monitored; the darker the purple, the more. You can hover over the state to see how many in each state are being monitored.

These election monitors will look at a number of things to make sure the way voting is being conducted is fair and legal:

• If voters are subject to different voting qualifications or procedures on the basis of race, color or membership in a language minority group
• If jurisdictions are complying with the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act
• If jurisdictions permit voters to receive assistance by a person of his or her choice if the voter is blind, has a disability or is unable to read or write
• If jurisdictions provide polling locations and voting systems allowing voters with disabilities to cast a private and independent ballot
• If jurisdictions comply with the voter registration list requirements of the National Voter Registration Act
• If jurisdictions comply with the provisional ballot requirements of the Help America Vote Act

Want to report something you see at the polls and think might be a violation of the law?

• Call: 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767 (If you're deaf or hard of hearing, the number for TTY is 202-305-0082)
• Fax: 202-307-3961
• Email: voting.section@usdoj.gov
• Complaint form www.justice.gov/crt/votercomplaint.

Image via Patch