Texas’ top elections official told the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday that its election observers are not allowed at Texas polling locations after the agency announced plans to send observers to eight counties of Texas on Election Day to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws.

The Justice Department regularly sends observers across the country to monitor possible voting rights violations in major elections. The agency said observers will be on the ground in 86 jurisdictions in 27 states, including Atascosa, Bexar, Dallas, Frio, Harris, Hays, Palo Pinto and Waller counties.

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson told the federal agency Friday evening that its election observers were not among those allowed in. Polling Locations in Texas or in central locations where ballots are counted under state law.

“Rest assured that Texas has robust processes and procedures in place to ensure eligible voters can participate in free and fair elections,” Nelson said. wrote to a DOJ official Friday evening.

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For decades, the Justice Department has dispersed election observers across the country to observe procedures at polling places and places where ballots are counted. This was a power granted to the federal government under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited discriminatory voting practices and sought to equalize access to voting. After the U.S. Supreme Court gutted parts of the law years ago, the agency now must get permission from state and local courts to be present or obtain a court order.

Authorities in Florida and Missouri have banned federal election observers in 2022 — and this year, authorities in Arkansas told ABC News they would not be allowed to go.

The agency did not say Friday why it chose these eight Texas counties — although it will send monitors to as many Massachusetts jurisdictions. The Ministry of Justice has monitors regularly sent to Texas – including in 2022when these monitors were sent to Dallas, Harris and Waller counties. A group of Texas Democrats at the local, state and federal levels asked the federal agency in September to send election observers there. the state’s five most populous counties – even if she ultimately planned to send monitors to three of them.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Texas Secretary of State’s office told ABC News this week that state election inspectors would be sent to “various locations” across Texas.

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Election day is Tuesday.

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