voting integrity
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES
ELECTION DAY PROGRAM
BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux, Jr. announced today that Rich Bourgeois, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Louisiana, will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 2, 2010, general elections. AUSA Bourgeois has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Middle District of Louisiana, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters.
In 2002, the Department of Justice established a nationwide Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative. The goals of this Initiative are to increase the Department’s ability to deter voter intimidation, suppression, discrimination and election fraud and to prosecute these offenses whenever and wherever they occur - to make voting easier and cheating harder. Both goals are equally important. It is imperative that in pursuing voter integrity, ballot access is not in any way diminished or harmed. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers the goals of the Initiative. The Program also is intended to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department where the public can report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day. The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it, while 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 2, 2010, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, USA Cazayoux stated that Assistant United States Attorney/DEO Bourgeois will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at 225-389-0443.
The FBI will also have Special Agents available in this District to receive allegations of election fraud, intimidation, suppression and other election abuses. FBI Special Agent David Clarke can be reached by the public at 225-291-5159.
Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767. Where voter intimidation or suppression tactics target voters on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin, please contact the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section at 202-514-3204.
United States Attorney Cazayoux said, “The integrity of the election process is at the heart of our representative form of government. Crimes that serve to impair that process will be dealt with aggressively so as to ensure public confidence in the fairness of our elections. Anyone who has information suggesting electoral corruption or voting rights abuses should make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
