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FEDERAL OBSERVERS DISPATCHED TO MONITOR

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department will dispatch 28 federal observers to Passaic County, New Jersey to monitor elections for city offices in Passaic on Tuesday, May 8, 2001.

Under the Voting Rights Act, which protects the rights of Americans to participate in the electoral process without discrimination, the Justice Department is authorized to ask the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to send federal observers to areas that are covered by a court order.

Federal observers were authorized to attend elections in Passaic County by the United States District Court in Newark on June 4, 1999, as part of a consent decree between the Justice Department, Passaic County and Passaic City. In a complaint filed with the consent decree, the Justice Department alleged that Passaic County and Passaic City election officials failed to make Spanish-language election materials, poll workers and assistance available to voters, in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The consent decree also provided for a Spanish-language election information program and an outreach and publicity plan.

The observers, who are supervised by OPM, will watch and record activities during voting hours at select polling locations in Passaic City. Three Justice Department attorneys will be in New Jersey to coordinate the federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials. Information provided by the federal observers will help the Justice Department in efforts to ensure that all written election materials are translated into Spanish, that the county has adequately trained poll workers to assist voters whose primary language is Spanish, and that Hispanic and Spanish-speaking voters have full and equal access to the voting process.

To lodge complaints about discriminatory voting practices in this election, voters may call the federal examiner at 1-888-496-9455. At all times, complaints about discriminatory voting practices may be called in to the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.