Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Ohio and New York

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on Sept. 10, 2013, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and in Queens County, N.Y.  The monitoring will ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color or membership in a minority language group. 

In Cuyahoga County, the Department will assign federal observers from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to monitor polling place activities based on a court order.  The observers will watch and record activities during voting hours at polling locations in this jurisdiction, and Civil Rights Division attorneys will coordinate the federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.

In addition, Justice Department personnel will monitor polling place activities in Queens County.  A Civil Rights Division attorney will coordinate federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.

Each year, the Justice Department deploys federal observers from OPM, as well as departmental staff, to monitor elections across the country.  To file complaints about discriminatory voting practices, including acts of harassment or intimidation, voters may call the Voting Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.

Visit www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/ for more information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting rights laws.