United States Attorney S. Lane Tucker announced last week that the Justice Department will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in five Alaska jurisdictions for the Nov. 5 general election.
The jurisdictions to be monitored are:
- Bethel Census Area
- Dillingham Census Area
- Kusilvak Census Area
- North Slope Borough
- Northwest Arctic Borough
The Justice Department enforces federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all eligible citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will coordinate the effort. Monitors will include Justice Department personnel, who will contact state and local election officials as needed throughout Election Day.
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act and Civil Rights Acts. The division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. The division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin, or religion.
On Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available all day to receive questions and complaints from the public regarding possible violations of federal voting rights laws. Reports may be made through the department’s website, www.civilrights.justice.gov, or by calling toll-free at 800-253-3931.
Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the department’s toll-free ADA information hotline at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov.
Complaints related to any disruptions at a polling place should always be reported to local election officials (including officials based in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted.
More information about voting and elections, including guidance documents and other resources, is available at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section.
Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC, using the complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.