Chesterfield Voting Complaint   (VA)

Associated Press   25 June 2008

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Voters in Chesterfield County, Va., have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, claiming that the county violated their right to vote in the February 12 presidential primary.

The civil-rights complaint says hundreds of Chesterfield residents were deprived of the right to vote, primarily in precincts with the largest black populations. They allege that in nine of 63 precincts, county voting officials failed to provide enough Democratic ballots and told voters to cast ballots on blank scraps of paper, which weren't counted.

The complaint requests that the Department of Justice investigate violations of the Voting Rights Act, the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It also requests that the department order the county to comply with the laws.