The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville announced Monday its plans for handling complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses for the upcoming Nov. 8 general elections.
U.S. Attorney David Rivera announced that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA’s) Henry Leventis and Steve Jordan will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program.
Leventis and Jordan have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers for the Middle District of Tennessee and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud,” Rivera said. “The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has a long-standing role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating violations whenever and wherever they occur. According to a news release, the Election Day Program aims to ensure public confidence in the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department of Justice for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.
It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.
For example, actions intended to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places under the pretext of uncovering illegal voting – such as questioning and challenging voters, or photographing and videotaping them – may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy, Rivera said in a news release. The Department of Justice said it will ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.
In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on Nov. 8, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSAs Leventis and Jordan will be on duty in the Middle District of Tennessee while the polls are open. They can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 615-289-8574.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 615-232-7500.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, D.C. by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at www.justice.gov.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate,” Rivera said. “It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
