United States Attorney Announces Procedures to Handle Election Fraud and Voting Rights Abuses

United States Attorney Jerry E. Martin announced today that in conjunction with the Department of Justice’s on-going Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative, Assistant United States Attorneys and FBI agents will be available to handle complaints of election fraud and voter rights abuses.

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and must enjoy the assurance that their vote will be counted,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “The effectiveness of our Election Day Program depends in large part on the watchfulness and cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to the U.S. Attorney’s Office or the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program is intended to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Justice Department where the public can report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day.

Asst. United States Attorneys Steve Jordan and Blanche Cook will be available while the polls are open on August 2, 2012, to receive and handle complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington. They can be reached at the following numbers: AUSA Jordan-615-736-2083; AUSA Cook-615-736-5431.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The FBI can be reached by the public at 615-232-7500.