U.S. Attorney Peter Leary announces district election officer appointments

MACON – Middle District of Georgia U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary has announced the appointment of two District Election Officers to lead the efforts of the office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5 general election.

The DEOs are responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of Election Day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud 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 in a fair and free election,” Leary said in a news release. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combating discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The department will address these violations wherever they occur. The department’s long-standing Election Day program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, 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 interference, including intimidation and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).

“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” Leary said. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the DEOs will be on duty in this district while the polls are open. The DEOs can be reached by the public at the following telephone number, (478) 621-2698, or by email at [email protected].”

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 by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or by email at tips.fbi.gov.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at (800) 253-3931.

“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” Leary said. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, citizens are encouraged to call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

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