Story highlights The department's civil rights division said Monday it's sending the poll monitors to 67 jurisdictions

Tuesday's election is the first in decades without federal power to mandate observers inside polling stations

Washington (CNN) More than 500 Justice Department election monitors will be on the ground in 28 states on Election Day to help enforce of federal voting rights laws.

The department's civil rights division said Monday it's sending the poll monitors to 67 jurisdictions around the country.

But Tuesday's election is the first presidential election in more than 50 years without federal power to mandate observers inside polling stations.

That's a result of the 2013 Supreme Court ruling, known as the Shelby decision, which struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act. The federal government lost its mandate to place observers inside polling stations.

The monitors being deployed this year can't enter polling places without the authorization from local election officials.

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