COLUMBIA, S.C. - The U.S. Justice Department will monitor primary elections in Charleston and Dorchester County on Tuesday, the agency said Monday.

Charleston is voting under a new district plan that replaces an at-large method for electing City Council members.

Earlier this year, a federal court found that the at-large method violated the federal Voting Rights Act and reduced the chances of having blacks elected to the council. The ruling came as part of a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department.

In Dorchester County, the department's Civil Rights Division will monitor primary elections to make sure all voters are allowed to participate regardless of race.

Each year, the Justice Department sends out hundreds of observers to monitor elections nationwide.

Also Tuesday, the department plans to monitor voting in Passaic County, N.J., to make sure election material is provided in Spanish as well as English.