PHOENIX — The Justice Department announced Monday plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 64 jurisdictions across the country ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.
Five Arizona counties were included in the list of areas the DOJ would be monitoring.
Included in the list are:
- Maricopa County
- Navajo County
- Pima County
- Pinal County
- Yavapai County
The DOJ helped monitor the polls in Maricopa, Coconino, and Navajo counties during the 2020 election.
Ensuring safety and compliance with voting rights laws is a practice that has been in place since the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and is nothing new.
Still, Arizona has recently been grappling with increasing threats of voter intimidation and election concerns. Earlier in the month, the state Secretary of State's office announced it had received 18 reports of voter intimidation as of Nov. 4.
On Nov. 1, a federal judge ordered Clean Elections USA not to have its associates follow voters as they drop off ballots or speak to voters unless they're spoken to first.
The DOJ says that monitors will include personnel from the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
On Election Day, the Civil Rights Division will be available all day to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of voting rights laws. You can file a complaint form on the department's website, or by telephone at 800-253-3931.
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