Federal authorities will monitor voting rights in Detroit and 5 other Michigan cities on Election Day

The US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division will monitor voting rights violations on Election Day in communities across the country, including Detroit.

The department announced Friday that it will monitor a total of 86 locations.

In addition to Detroit, the cities of Hamtramck, Warren, Ann Arbor, Flint and Grand Rapids will be watching in the state of Michigan. In the 2020 presidential election, all six communities voted for Democrats.

Other cities on the list include St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee, as well as counties that include major cities such as Miami, Orlando, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

In 2020, there was a tense election in Detroit applicants converged at the place of ballot counting in the city, shout and knocking on the windowschanting “stop the score”.

“On Election Day, civil rights officers will be available throughout the day to receive questions and complaints from the public related to possible violations of federal voting rights laws,” the department said in a statement. “The department’s criminal division enforces federal criminal laws that prohibit voter intimidation and suppression based on race, color, national origin, or religion.”

The statement said that reports of disruptions at polling stations should first be reported to local election officials. Incidents of voter violence, threats, or intimidation should be reported to your local police by calling 911 and then to the Department of Justice.

Reports to the Department of Justice can be made by calling toll-free at 800-253-3931 or by visiting www.civilrights.justice.gov.

Contact John Wisely at [email protected]. On X @jwisely.

This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: Federal authorities will monitor 6 cities in Michigan regarding compliance with voting rights