Election in San Diego Will Be Monitored

Federal observers today will monitor a special election for an open San Diego City Council seat to ensure that the county complies with the Voting Rights Act and provides ballots and voting materials in Spanish, Vietnamese and Tagalog, according to federal officials.

Observers from the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division will be on hand at some of the 59 polling places, where voters will decide a runoff between George Stevens, a former councilman, and Tony Young. The seat has been open since Councilman Charles Lewis died last summer.

Justice officials reached an agreement with San Diego County last summer after it was determined that the county had not complied with sections of the federal Voting Rights Act requiring outreach to minority voters.

The department said that despite "good-faith efforts" the county failed to provide enough translators at polling places or enough translated materials.

The observers will monitor voting in the City Council's 4th District, an ethnically diverse area east of downtown San Diego.