Election Interference Alert: Feds Crack Down on Voting Rights

CHICAGO

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois is cracking down on voting rights violations in the city and surrounding suburbs. Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, announced that his office will be monitoring the general election on Tuesday, November 4, 2014.

According to Fardon, no one who is entitled to vote should in any way be inhibited from doing so, and the office stands ready to ensure a fair process for all. The hotline number is (312) 469-6157, and it will be staffed on Election Day only.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Heinze coordinates the office’s election monitoring efforts and subsequent investigations, if any, in consultation with the Justice Department. The Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service will assist in this effort by following up, if necessary, on any election fraud and voting rights complaints.

Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767.

Federal law protects against crimes such 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. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.

Violations of federal voting rights statutes carry penalties ranging from 1 to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. Federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice. The office has a long tradition of monitoring the polls on Election Day to help protect the integrity of the voting process.

The office is urging anyone with concerns or complaints to report them immediately. "This office has a long tradition of monitoring the polls on Election Day to help protect the integrity of the voting process," Fardon said. "No one who is entitled to vote should in any way be inhibited from doing so, and we stand ready to ensure a fair process for all."