WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor the special municipal election on Sept. 24, 2013, in Hattiesburg, Miss. The monitoring is designed to 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.
Justice Department personnel will monitor polling place activities in Hattiesburg. A Civil Rights Division attorney will coordinate federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.
Each year, the 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.
