Mineral Wells Area News

Justice Department to Monitor Polls in 27 States for Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws

The Justice Department announced today that it plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 86 jurisdictions in 27 states for the Nov. 5 general election.

The US Justice Department enforces federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all eligible citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country.

Texans will see poll watchers in 8 counties including here in Palo Pinto County.

Local election officials have been contacted by the federal poll watchers and anticipate they will be at the County Annex on Election Day.

Election Administrator Laura Watkins has been managing elections for 23 years and while she has seen State level authorities make appearances, federal poll watchers are new to her.

While there are 254 counties in Texas and only 8 will be monitored by Federal watchers on Tuesday, November 5th, Palo Pinto County became a hotbed for electioneering after highly contested local races in the spring of 2024.

Here is a list of the counties that will be watched by the Feds:

• Atascosa County, Texas
• Bexar County, Texas
• Dallas County, Texas
• Frio County, Texas
• Harris County, Texas
• Hays County, Texas
• Palo Pinto County, Texas
• Waller County, Texas

Here is a link to the full press release issued by the Department of Justice.