Justice Department monitoring voting rights compliance in four SD counties

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Justice Department will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in four South Dakota counties—Bennett, Jackson, Minnehaha, and Oglala Lakota—during the Nov. 5 general election. While the department hasn’t specified why these counties were selected, some have faced past voting rights issues. For example, earlier this year, the Justice Department reached an agreement with Bennett County to address claims that the county hadn’t provided equal voting access for Native American voters. Investigators found that Native Americans in Bennett County faced barriers to in-person registration and absentee voting, which often required long-distance travel to the county seat in Martin, South Dakota.

These South Dakota counties join 86 jurisdictions across 27 states that the Justice Department is monitoring. Federal oversight of voting rights compliance has been a longstanding practice, but it has recently faced resistance. Officials in Florida and Texas have stated they won’t allow federal monitors inside polling sites on Election Day, and Missouri filed a lawsuit on Monday to block federal officials from observing at polling places. Texas also filed a lawsuit seeking to permanently prevent federal monitoring within the state.

To report potential violations of federal voting rights, individuals can contact the Justice Department at civilrights.justice.gov or call 800-253-3931.

For ADA-related complaints, contact the department’s ADA hotline at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY), or visit www.ada.gov.

Complaints related to disruptions at a polling place should be reported to local election officials (including officials based in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local authorities by calling 911. These complaints should also be reported to the department after local authorities have been contacted.