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FEDERAL OFFICIALS DISPATCHED TO MONITOR

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In an effort to preserve the integrity of the voting process by ensuring that the rights of minority voters are respected, the Justice Department will dispatch 19 federal officials to monitor Saturday's elections in the City of Irving in Dallas County, Texas.

Under the Voting Rights Act, which protects the rights of all Americans to participate in the electoral process, the Justice Department is authorized to send federal observers to areas that are covered by a court order.

Nineteen observers will monitor polling place activities in Irving to ensure that all written election materials are translated into Spanish and that the city is providing effective assistance to voters whose primary language is Spanish. The observers, several of whom speak Spanish, will watch and record activities during voting hours at the polling locations. The observers are supervised by the Office of Personnel Management. Two 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 made to the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.