10/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/31/2024 13:22
BOSTON - Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy has appointed a District Election Officer who will oversee the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department's nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5, 2024 general election.
Assistant United States Attorney Lucy Sun has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Massachusetts, responsible for overseeing the handling of election day criminal complaints, 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 fear, intimidation or interference and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. 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," said Acting U.S. Attorney Levy.
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting 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 longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also 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 also 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 public can direct concerns or complaints of election fraud, threats, intimidation and voting rights concerns during the upcoming election to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston at (833) 634-8669.
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 at (857) 386-2000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please 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.