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ELECTIONS
Prosecutor to Monitor Voting Complaints
U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor has named a prosecutor from his office to oversee the District's handling of any complaints of election fraud and voting-rights abuses.
Howard Sklamberg was named the District election officer to oversee activities surrounding Tuesday's vote. Sklamberg, who is a deputy chief in the U.S. attorney's fraud and public corruption section, will be part of a team of officials working nationwide in the Justice Department's program to thwart fraud and discrimination at the polls.
Sklamberg will be on duty while polls are open Tuesday. The FBI also will have agents available to assist in investigations. The public can reach the FBI at 202-278-2000 and can contact Sklamberg at 202-514-6961, officials said.
Complaints about problems with ballot access or discrimination also can be made directly to the Justice Department at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Day Laborers Report Problems Getting Paid
About 60 percent of day laborers in the District have not been paid for their work at some point, and about half have been paid less than the promised wage, according to a survey of 140 workers released yesterday.
The report, by the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, also documented widespread safety abuses against the estimated 500 day laborers who seek construction and other menial jobs at informal hiring sites such as the Home Depot off Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast.
Almost half of those surveyed said they were forced to work without necessary safety equipment, 39 percent have been injured at work and, of those, 13 percent received medical compensation from their employer.
While day laborers in Virginia and Maryland suburbs tend to be Latino immigrants, the survey found that about one-third of those in the District are African American homeless men.
The report's authors recommended the establishment of an indoor worker hiring center to ease tensions with residents who live near the informal hiring sites and to connect day laborers with advocates.
