The U.S. Justice Department said Monday it will monitor compliance with federal voting right laws by deploying personnel to 19 states, including Iowa, for Tuesday's general election.

Federal personnel will be sent to northwest Iowa's Buena Vista County, which has a large population of immigrants employed in agriculture and the meat packing industry in the Storm Lake area.

Buena Vista County is among 35 jurisdictions in those 19 states that will be monitored for compliance with federal voting laws, and it is the only jurisdiction targeted in Iowa, according to the Justice Department.

Buena Vista County is within Iowa's 4th Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, who has repeatedly made inflammatory statements about immigration, is being challenged by Democrat J.D. Scholten of Sioux City.

There are about 20,000 people in Buena Vista County. About 26 percent are identified as Hispanic or Latino, 9 percent Asian, 3 percent black or African-American, more than 1 percent native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and more than 1 percent two or more races, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Many of the immigrants are not native English speakers.

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“Voting rights are constitutional rights, and they’re part of what it means to be an American,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a prepared statement Monday. “The Department of Justice has been entrusted with an indispensable role in securing these rights for the people of this nation. This year we are using every lawful tool that we have, both civil and criminal, to protect the rights of millions of Americans to cast their vote unimpeded at one of more than 170,000 precincts across America."

The number of jurisdictions being monitored by the Department of Justice is roughly on par with the previous midterm election, according to the Wall Street Journal. In 2014, the Obama administration deployed monitors to 28 jurisdictions in 18 states. During the previous presidential election in 2016, the department monitored 67 jurisdictions in 28 states, the Journal said.

► Election Day 2018 voter guide: Results and more coverage

Iowa has had a contentious and partisan debate regarding the passage of a voter identification law passed last year by the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature. GOP lawmakers said the law would help protect the integrity of Iowa's voting process, though there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state. Democrats claimed it was aimed at suppressing votes of minorities, older people and the disabled.

►More: Rising star among Iowa Democrats takes on voter ID champion in secretary of state race

A soft roll-out of the law means voters will be asked to show ID when they vote this year, though they will not be required to have it. They can still cast a regular ballot by signing an oath affirming their identity. In 2019, voters without ID will need to vote by provisional ballot.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, said Monday he was aware of the Justice Department's plans.

“Iowa is committed to running clean, fair elections in all 99 counties and we welcome the Department of Justice to the state. Anyone interfering in our elections in any way will not be tolerated. I want every eligible Iowan to participate in Iowa’s elections and they should do so with confidence that their vote will count," Pate said.

State and local governments have primary responsibility for administering elections in the United States. The Civil Rights Division is charged with enforcing the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot on Election Day, the Justice Department said.

Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the federal government has regularly monitored all kinds of elections in the field around the country throughout every year to protect the rights of all voters, and not just in federal general elections.

On Election Day, Justice Department staff will be available all day by telephone to receive complaints from the public related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws (1-800-253-3931 toll-free or 202-307-2767 or TTY 202-305-0082). In addition, individuals may also report complaints by fax to 202-307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov, and by a complaint form on the Department’s website: Justice.gov/crt/VoterComplaint.

If you have problems voting anywhere in Iowa, please contact the Des Moines Register's reporters Jason Clayworth (jclaywor@dmreg.com or 515-699-7058) or Shelby Fleig (shelbyfleig@dmreg.com or 515-214-8933).