STATEWIDE — Orange, Hillsborough, Broward, Duval, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Duval counties are among the 44 jurisdictions in 18 states to which the U.S. Justice Department plans to send election monitors for the general election Tuesday.

The purpose of the monitors from the Civil Rights Division is to ensure compliance with the federal voting rights laws, the Justice Department indicated.

Those monitors’ job is to make sure everyone can access their ballot, without discrimination, intimidation and harassment.

Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles says it has been a pretty normal practice since the 2000 presidential election.

“They’ve been down here multiple times. They did contact us in advance and say they were coming, but this time they said their activity is limited to outside the 150 foot no solicitation zone,” Cowles explained.

The division has regularly monitored in a variety of elections around the country throughout every year.

“Federal law entrusts the Civil Rights Division with protecting the right to vote for all Americans,” according to Eric S. Dreiband, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. “Our federal laws protect the right of all American citizens to vote without suffering discrimination, intimidation, and harassment. The work of the Civil Rights Division around each federal general election is a continuation of its historical mission to ensure that all of our citizens can freely exercise this most fundamental American right.”

Other states to which monitors will be sent are Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Of those, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin are projected to have a key role in deciding the results of the presidential election. Some of them also have hotly contested U.S. Senate or congressional races.

The Civil Rights Division’s voting section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote — including the Voting Rights Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Acts. The division’s disability rights section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that persons with disabilities have a full and equal opportunity to vote. The division’s criminal section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter suppression based on race, color, national origin, or religion.