WWW.USDOJ.GOV

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Justice Department will dispatch 101 federal observers to seven counties in Mississippi to monitor Tuesday's runoff primary elections for state and county offices.

Under the Voting Rights Act, which protects the rights of Americans to participate in the electoral process without discrimination , the Justice Department is authorized to ask the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to send federal observers to areas that are specially covered in the Act.

In all seven counties, observers will monitor the treatment of African American voters, including whether they are able to receive assistance from the person of their choice and whether they are improperly turned away by poll workers.

Earlier this month, the Justice Department dispatched 158 observers to 14 counties to monitor the state's primary elections. As a result of the findings from that coverage, the Justice Department is returning 34 observers to Amite, Covington, and Quitman counties. Sixty-seven additional observers will be sent to Monroe, Sunflower, Tallahatchie and Walthall counties, where post-primary investigations indicated a need for observers at the runoff.

The observers, who are supervised by OPM, will watch and record activities during voting hours at the polling locations. Seven Justice Department attorneys will coordinate the federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.

To lodge complaints about discriminatory voting practices in this election, voters may call the federal examiner at 1-888-496-9455. At all times, complaints about discriminatory voting practices may be called-in to the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.

99-372