No reason was given by DOJ as to why they chose Madison and Panola counties.
On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department announced that it plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in several jurisdictions in four states for the November 7 general election.
Among the locales the DOJ will have monitors are Madison County and Panola County, Mississippi, as the state holds its General Election on Tuesday.
No reason was given by DOJ as to why they chose Madison and Panola counties.
“The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot,” the DOJ said in a statement. “The division regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with the federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the division also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order.”
The DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
UPDATE – 11:00am, November 7th:
Secretary of State Michael Watson has asked that the DOJ respect Mississippi’s election sovereignty “barring clear statutory authority” that would allow the federal government to interfere.
“Barring clear statutory authority, DOJ election monitors must remain thirty (30) feet away from any polling place in accordance with Mississippi law,” Watson writes to John Russ, Deputy Chief & Elections Coordinator with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Voting Section. “We trust the DOJ will respect the sovereignty of Mississippi’s election laws and instruct their election monitors to do the same.”
