FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2003 WWW.USDOJ.GOV CRT (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department today announced that, as part of its ongoing efforts to protect Vietnamese and Spanish-speaking voters, it will send federal observers to Harris County, Texas to monitor the December 6, 2003 mayoral, Houston Independent School District and Houston Community College System elections.
The Justice Department has been working with Harris County for some time to ensure that voters who are not fluent in English are able to participate fully in our democratic process, said R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
Attorneys from the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Texas will coordinate the federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials. Specifically, they will monitor the treatment of Vietnamese and Spanish-speaking voters during voting to ensure full and equal access to the voting process as required by the federal Voting Rights Act.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act requires jurisdictions with a sufficiently large number of non-English speaking voters to provide all election information, ballots and materials in languages other than English. Harris County meets those criteria with respect to Vietnamese and Spanish.
Since 2001, the Civil Rights Division has sent 1,384 federal observers to monitor 74 elections in 45 different counties.
To file complaints about discriminatory voting practices in this election, including acts of harassment or intimidation, 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 Departments Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.
More information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice website at www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/index.htm. 03-664
Source: US Department of Justice
