Department of Justice to Monitor Elections in Dallas, Galveston, and Jasper Counties

A federal agency has announced their plans to monitor elections in some areas of Texas.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday their intention to monitor municipal elections on May 12 in Dallas, Galveston, and Jasper Counties in Texas.

They plan to follow these elections to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color, or membership in a minority language group.

The U.S. Justice Department has the right to ask the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to send federal observers certified by the attorney general or federal court order to monitor polling locations in the three counties.

Each year, the Justice Department sends out hundreds of federal observers to monitor elections across the country.