DOJ to send fewer election observers to Mississippi

Feds will send fewer election observers

Attorney General Loretta Lynch recently announced the Justice Department will send fewer federal election observers this fall. The change is one of several in the wake of a 2013 Supreme Court decision — Shelby County v. Holder — that threw out a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The provision determined which states and other jurisdictions with a history of voter discrimination had to obtain “pre-clearance” from federal officials before making any election changes. Most of the states were in the South, including Louisiana and Mississippi. This will be the first presidential election without the provision.

Clarion Ledger
9/29/16