Washington, DC - In compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will provide federal observers to monitor the election process. The areas to be covered will be designated by the U.S. Attorney General.

"I am pleased to provide any help OPM can give to ensure this election season runs smoothly," said OPM Acting Director Michael Hager. "It is because of our freedom to vote that we are able to live in a free and secure country."

OPM's Voting Rights Program recruits, trains, and deploys observers to cover various local, state, and federal elections each year at the request of the DOJ. For the November 2008 General Election, OPM will deploy 660 observers to 22 staging sites in 11 states (Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, and Texas)

As specified by DOJ, coverage will focus on either racial/ethnic issues or minority language issues.  Minority languages covered in November will include Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Choctaw, Hopi, Keresan, Navajo, Spanish, Towa, and Vietnamese.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.