First Coast

Justice Department To Monitor Duval County's Election Process

WJCT News | By Bill Bortzfield

Published November 3, 2020 at 8:03 AM EST

Early voters wait in line on Oct. 19 at the Regency Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library.

The U.S. Justice Department is sending civil rights monitors to Duval and five other Florida counties to watch over the election process.

In all, the Justice Department is sending personnel to 44 jurisdictions in 18 states to monitor for compliance with federal voting rights laws.

“Our federal laws protect the right of all American citizens to vote without suffering discrimination, intimidation, and harassment. The work of the Civil Rights Division around each federal general election is a continuation of its historical mission to ensure that all of our citizens can freely exercise this most fundamental American right,” said Eric S. Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, in a news release.

The other Florida counties that will be monitored are Broward, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Orange and Palm Beach.

On Election Day, Civil Rights Division personnel will be available to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website or by telephone toll-free at 800-253-3931.

Voters line up to cast their ballots Oct. 19 at the Southeast Regional Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library.

People with questions or complaints related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may call the department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or submit a complaint through ADA.gov.

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On Election Night, WJCT News will have a full slate of live multimedia coverage:

WJCT.org: We’ll have live returns from all First Coast counties along with a local video election special hosted by Melissa Ross from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., which will also air be streamed in the WJCT app. You’ll also find a live nationwide election blog from NPR and tweets from WJCT News reporters and our news partners across the First Coast and Florida.

WJCT News 89.9: WJCT News' live, local election special hosted by Melissa Ross runs from 7 p.m. to 7:55 p.m., followed by NPR's live coverage until at least 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

WJCT TV 7.1, Comcast 8 & 440: PBS NewsHour special Election 2020 coverage begins at 6 p.m. and runs throughout the night. It will also be streamed on WJCT.org and in the WJCT app. WJCT News will also provide local, live cut-ins on television during the PBS NewsHour coverage.

Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.