| |
| | #550: 11-16-99 JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES BLAINE COUNTY, MONTANA OVER ITS METHOD OF ELECTING ITS BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS (Site not responding. Last check: ) |
 | | WASHINGTON, D.C.-- A Montana county was sued today because its method of electing its governing body does not provide an equal opportunity for Native American citizens to participate in the electoral process, the Justice Department announced. |
 | | The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Great Falls, Montana, alleges that the at-large method used to elect the Board of Commissioners in Blaine County, Montana, violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because it dilutes the voting strength of Native Americans. |
 | | The Justice Department's analysis of previous county elections found that although Native American voters in Blaine County are politically cohesive, white voters, who form a majority of the county's electorate, usually vote as a bloc to defeat the Native American community's candidate of choice. |
| www.usdoj.gov /opa/pr/1999/November/550cr.htm (366 words) |
|