The Justice Department is monitoring elections in eight Massachusetts cities on Tuesday

The cities are among the most racially diverse cities in the state. Levy's office did not say why exactly those locations were chosen.

“The Department’s longstanding Election Day program is critical to combating voting discrimination and increasing public confidence in the electoral process,” Levy’s statement said. “Every citizen must be able to vote without impairment or discrimination.”

“My office is proud to be part of this important effort to protect the inviolable right to vote,” Levy said.

According to the press release, monitors will be deployed in 86 jurisdictions in 27 states nationwide.

Municipalities in Massachusetts have been monitored in past elections.

Lowell and Malden were two of the Massachusetts locations selected for voting site surveillance in 2018.

On Thursday, the DOJ announced a county elections director to oversee the processing of Election Day criminal complaints, threats of violence against election officials or staff, and voter fraud.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anuj Khetarpal will lead the U.S. Attorney's Office's Election Day surveillance efforts as voting rights coordinator for the District of Massachusetts, Levy said.

At the national level, the effort is coordinated by the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, which provides observers along with other departments, U.S. Attorney's Offices, and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management.

Complaints involving violence, threats or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police by calling 911.

Public concerns or complaints about voting rights may be submitted to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston at (833) 634-8669. Complaints may also be filed with the Civil Rights Division in Washington DC at 800-253-3931 or at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.

ADA-related complaints should be directed to a hotline at (800) 514-0301 or (833) 610-1264 (TTY) or via a link on the Department's ADA website at www.ada.gov.

Tonya Alanez can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @talanez.