LAFAYETTE, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley advises the public today of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s role during the upcoming November 4, 2014 and December 6, 2014 primary and general elections.

The Department of Justice’s Election Day Program is centered on deterring election fraud, discrimination at the polls and combating election violations. The goal is to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting violations while the polls are open on Election Day.

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.

Early voting is October 21st to October 28th (except Sunday) from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the November 4th primary election, and November 22nd to November 29th (except Sunday) from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the December 6th general election. On November 4, 2014, the polls will open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m., and on December 6, 2014, the polls will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. Residents should contact their local Registrar of Voters’ Office to determine their voting location. If you would like to download a sample ballot or obtain other election information, visit the Louisiana Secretary of State’s web page at www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting.

For those seeking to register to vote, registration is open throughout the year. Registration to be eligible to vote in the November 4th election has ended, but registration to be eligible to vote in the December 6th election is open until November 5, 2014. In Louisiana, eligibility to register to vote in an election ends 30 days before that election. To find out more, call the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office at 225-922-0900.

Complaints of election fraud or voting rights violations should be directed to the FBI, who will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations. The local FBI field offices can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: Shreveport at 318-861-1890 or Lafayette at 337-233-2164. For a complete list of FBI field offices in Louisiana visit www.fbi.gov/neworleans/contact-us/territory-jurisdiction. The U.S. Attorney’s Office can be reached by the public at 318-676-3600 (Shreveport) or 337-262-6618 (Lafayette).

Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division=s Voting Section in Washington, D.C., at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767. The division’s e-mail address is voting.section@usdoj.gov, and voter complaints also can be filed online at www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces six federal statutes. They are the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002. For more information on the acts that the division enforces, visit www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/overview.php.