Perry H. Piper, Election Interference, Tennessee 2016

KNOXVILLE, TN - Assistant U.S. Attorney Perry H. Piper has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Tennessee, overseeing the District's handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses with the Justice Department's nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 8, 2016, general elections.

U.S. Attorney Nancy Stallard Harr stated, '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 will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.'

The Department of Justice's Election Day Program 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.

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.

U.S. Attorney Harr stated that AUSA/DEO Piper will be on duty in this District while the polls are open, and can be reached by the public at 423-385-1332. Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division's Voting Section in Washington, DC.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtn/pr/department-justice-and-united-states-attorney-s-office-oversee-november-2016-elections