October 28, 2014

Statement by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña Concerning the November 2014 General Election

DALLAS—U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña, of the Northern District of Texas, announced today that she has appointed four Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) to serve as District Election Officers (DEOs) in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, Lubbock, and Amarillo, Texas, offices. These DEOs will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 4, 2014, general elections. As DEOs, AUSAs Errin Martin, Chris Wolfe, Juanita Fielden, Steve Sucsy, and Tim Hammer 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.

U.S. Attorney Saldaña said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and seeks 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 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 of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting 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. We all must 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 November 4, 2014, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, U.S. Attorney Saldaña stated that each of the DEOs will be on duty while the polls are open, and may be contacted at the following telephone numbers:

  • Dallas AUSA Errin Martin 214-659-8838
  • Fort Worth AUSA Chris Wolfe 817-252-5221
  • Abilene AUSA Juanita Fielden 325-672-8160
  • Lubbock AUSA Steve Sucsy 806-472-7564
  • Amarillo AUSA Tim Hammer 806-324-2345

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 Dallas FBI office can be reached by the public at 972-559-5000.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by e-mail to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.

U.S. Attorney Saldaña said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the 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 my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division, of the Department of Justice.”