DOJ sends election monitors to Douglas County polling places

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The U.S. Department of Justice sent election monitors to polling places in Douglas County as part of a nationwide effort to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws.

Douglas County Election Commission spokesperson Valerie Stoj confirmed that monitors were present at polling locations but declined to identify the specific precincts where they were working.

Election officials said the locations were not being disclosed to avoid putting additional pressure on workers at those polling places.

The Department of Justice's Nebraska office said it had no additional information about where the monitors were stationed.

In a news release, the Justice Department identified 126 jurisdictions across the country where federal monitors would be present. Douglas County was the only Nebraska county included.

In Iowa, monitors were sent to Linn and Polk counties.

The Justice Department said its monitors would be checking for compliance with federal voting rights statutes that fall within the department's jurisdiction.

The federal monitoring effort is part of the Justice Department's responsibility to enforce voting rights laws and protect access to the ballot.

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