Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Texas Today

[SunsetDreams]

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor primary elections on May 29, 2012, in Fort Bend, Harris and Jefferson Counties in Texas, to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other federal voting rights statutes. 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 covered jurisdictions to provide language assistance during the election process.

Under the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department is authorized to ask the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to send federal observers to jurisdictions that are certified by the attorney general or by a federal court order. Federal observers will be assigned to monitor polling place activities in Fort Bend and Jefferson Counties based on the attorney general’s certification. In addition, Fort Bend is subject to a court order entered in 2009, which requires the jurisdiction to comply with the minority language and assistor of choice requirements of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the requirements of the Help America Vote Act. The observers will watch and record activities during voting hours at polling locations in these counties, 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 Harris County. A Civil Rights Division attorney will coordinate federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.

Each year, the Justice Department deploys hundreds of 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/voting/index.php for more information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/May/12-crt-677.html

Does anyone know if the DOJ is investigating the new voting laws in Florida regarding voting and all the purging happening?

How Florida Governor Rick Scott Could Steal The Election For Mitt Romney

Florida Supervisor of Elections: Gov. Scott’s Voter Purge Will Remove Eligible Voters From Rolls
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/26/490971/florida-supervisor-of-elections-scott-voter-purge-remove-eligible-voters/

Meet Maureen Russo: An Eligible Florida Voter Governor Rick Scott Just Purged From The Voting Rolls
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/25/490678/eligible-florida-voter-governor-rick-scott-purged/

Meet Bill: The 91-Year-Old Decorated WWII Veteran Targeted By Florida Governor Rick Scott’s Voter Purge
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/05/29/491430/meet-bill-the-91-year-old-decorated-wwii-veteran-targeted-by-florida-governor-rick-scotts-voter-purge/

I don't know if this qualifies as investigating purging, but it appears that the DOJ are looking into irregularities in Florida.
Florida Voting Laws Challenged By Justice Department

DOJ: Florida Voting Restrictions May Discriminate Intentionally

[monmouth]

1. Voting machines in at least Palm Beach County, are not working properly. They've known about this

for months and just keep repeating the same mantra. Fix the damned things. I'm voting absentee but I still want those machines to work. I didn't realize the "setup" that is necessary to steal an election.

[Scurrilous]

2. K & R

Thanks!

[gkhouston]

3. Will they be in Wisconsin next week? n/t

[bigtree]

4. big kick!