U.S. Justice Department officials will dispatch fewer trained election observers at the polls, which is likely to diminish the department's ability to detect potential problems. ( MIKE BLAKE / REUTERS )WASHINGTON—Justice Department officials are warning that they will be dispatching fewer trained election observers in the wake of a Supreme Court opinion that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. “It’s cause for concern,” said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. Article Continued BelowThe opinion opened the door to state law changes decried by voting rights advocates, including stringent new voter ID requirements. Federal observers enjoy unfettered access inside polling places on Election Day and cannot be removed.

Source: thestar October 19, 2016 21:15 UTC