u.S. attorney appoints district elections officer
Anchorage, Alaska United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that AssistantUnited States Attorney Craig M. Warner will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the JusticeDepartment’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 2, 2010, general elections. AUSA Warner has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the District of Alaska, andin that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud andvoting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
Ms. Loeffler said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination andto have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will actpromptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process.”
Eight years ago, former Attorney General Ashcroft established a Department-wide Ballot Accessand Voting Integrity Initiative. The goals of this ongoing Initiative are to increase the Department’sability to deter election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and to prosecute these offenses wheneverand wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals,and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing localpoints of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rightsviolations while the polls are open on election day.
The right to vote 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 tojustice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 2, 2010,and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, Ms. Loeffler stated thatAssistant United States Attorney/DEO Warner will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 907-271-5071.
In addition, the FBI will have Special Agents available in each Field Office and Resident Agencythroughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI can be reached by the public at (907) 276-4441.
Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can be made directly to the CivilRights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767.
Ms. Loeffler said, “The effectiveness of our Election Day Program depends in large part on thewatchfulness and cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specificinformation about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to myOffice, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.”
