DOJ to Monitor Polls in Four Georgia Counties During Senate Runoff

By Ellis Champion

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, Dec. 6, the day of the runoff election for the U.S. Senate in Georgia, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its plans to monitor elections in four Georgia counties: Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County and Macon-Bibb County. Cobb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties are the state’s three most populous counties with a combined population of over 2.7 million, all located in and around Atlanta. Macon-Bibb County is a smaller jurisdiction located in central Georgia.

Staff from U.S. attorneys’ offices and the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will serve as monitors to ensure that the right to vote is protected in compliance with federal law. The DOJ enforces federal statutes; in the sphere of elections, this includes the Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Acts, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, National Voter Registration Act and Help America Vote Act.