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U.S. Justice Department monitoring polling places across Riverside County
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Voting booths at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters headquarters.
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Election monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice are keeping an eye on polling places in Riverside County.
The county's elections office took a lot of heat for being one of the last counties in the state to report election results from the June primary.
Tardiness wasn’t the only problem; county election officials almost threw out 12-thousand ballots because they didn’t arrive at the register’s office on time. They got hung up at a post office in Moreno Valley. Voters had to file a lawsuit to get the ballots counted.
Justice Department observers are in place to protect against any possible voting rights violations or irregularities, including barriers for the disabled and non-English speaking voters. Riverside County isn’t the only place under scrutiny.
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So is Alameda County in Northern California and many other jurisdictions across 18 states. Justice Department monitors are also looking for instances of voter intimidation or fraud.
The election watchers are also monitoring online voting. Voters can report problems online at the Department of Justice website or at a special election hotline (1-800-253-3931).
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