Feds to Monitor NY Polls in Orange County, Queens

The U.S. Justice Department says it will monitor primary elections in Orange County and Queens to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  WAMC's Dave Lucas reports...

Federal observers will be at polling places Tuesday in Orange County in the Hudson Valley based on a federal court order over concerns about the voting rights of Puerto Rican voters with limited English. Under the consent decree, bilingual ballots will be used countywide and the county will provide poll workers who speak both English and Spanish.

Justice Department personnel will also monitor polling place activities in Queens.

The department deploys hundreds of federal observers each year to monitor elections across the country to ensure against discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color, or language group.

Dave Lucas, WAMC News.

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