Feds say Ventura County violated voting rights of Hispanics

The U.S. Department of Justice and Ventura County settled a complaint alleging the county election division violated the voting rights of Hispanics by failing to provide enough Spanish-language ballot materials. The federal government's complaint, filed this week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, also alleged that the county failed to provide enough bilingual poll workers as required under the Voting Rights Act. The county is one-third Hispanic. Both sides announced Wednesday they had entered into a consent decree -- a settlement reached before a lawsuit is filed -- that requires the county to comply with federal law and provides for the Justice Department to monitor county elections, officials said. The decree still must be approved by a three-judge panel. "The Voting Rights Act requires the county to make these materials and information available in Spanish, and today's agreement accomplishes that," [more]