Polling places in 18 states will be subjected to in-person monitoring by the Justice Department on Tuesday, officials say.
The 28 targeted locations include four counties in Florida, two in Georgia, two in Texas and one in North Carolina.
The monitors will be checking for, among other things, whether voters are subject to different voting qualifications or procedures based on race, color or language; whether minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act are being complied with and whether blind, disabled or illiterate voters receive the help they need.
In addition, Civil Rights Division attorneys in both the Voting and Criminal Sections in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive election-related complaints of potential violations, officials say. Federal prosecutors at the Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C., the District Election Officers in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI officials at headquarters in Washington, D.C., and FBI Special Agents serving as Election Crime Coordinators in the FBI’s 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are open.
“I want the American people to know that the Justice Department will stand vigilant – working, in a fair and nonpartisan manner, to ensure that every voter can cast his or her ballot free of intimidation, discrimination, or obstruction,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a video message.