DALLAS (AP) - The Justice Department will monitor Saturday's municipal elections in a pair of Dallas suburbs that have been flash points in the immigration debate.

The department said Friday that the monitoring is designed to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act.

Dallas County is obligated to provide all election information, ballots and voting assistance in Spanish and English in accordance with the act, Justice says.

Each year, the department employs hundreds of federal observers for elections across the country.

In Farmers Branch, the mayor's race include Councilman Tim O'Hare, who authored an ordinance to ban illegal immigrants from renting in the city. In Irving, advocates have questioned police stops that they say were targeting illegal immigrants.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-05-09-08 1701EDT