[Nfbk] FW: [Election Protection] Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Voting Section Election-Day Plan

Thu Oct 25 23:51:32 UTC 2012

From: Sharon Fields [mailto:ssfields at fewpb.net] 
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2012 11:17 AM
To: 'George Stokes'
Subject: FW: [Election Protection] Department of Justice, Civil Rights
Division, Voting Section Election-Day Plan

Will you get this to John to get it on News Line?

Sharon

From: Jim Dickson [mailto:james.charles.dickson at gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 1:15 PM
To: 'Attendees to AZ DVASummit 2008'; 'Bill Henning'; 'Bob Cooper';
'Carlton, Belinda'; 'Carole Tonks'; 'Clyde Terry'; 'Courtney Jenkins-Atnip';
'Daniella Yaloz'; 'Dick Murelle '; 'Kathy Hoell'; 'Kay Grier'; 'Kelly
Moffatt'; 'Marca Bristo'; 'Margot Imdieke'; 'Mark Ezzell'; 'Melissa
Mulliken'; 'Michelle Bishop'; 'Paul O'Hanlon'; 'Shannon, Richard'; 'Sharon
Fields'; 'Sheri Caveda'; 'Sue Hetrick'; 'Suellen Jackson Boner'; 'Thomas
Earle'; 'Amy Selders'; 'Brad Williams'; 'Carol Westlake'; 'Carole Tonks';
'Corey Rowley'; 'Doris Ray'; 'Gail Keir'; 'Howard Seifert'; 'James DeBoer';
'Kimball Gray'; 'Luke Koppisch'; 'Ramon Garcia'; 'Richard Simms'; 'Todd
Hash'
Subject: FW: [Election Protection] Department of Justice, Civil Rights
Division, Voting Section Election-Day Plan

From: election-protection-coalition at googlegroups.com
[mailto:election-protection-coalition at googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Delores
Scott
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 11:55 AM
To: election-protection-coalition at googlegroups.com; Brenda Walker
(Walker at thearc.org); pandavoting at yahoogroups.com;
LegalDirectors at yahoogroups.com; Roberta Carlin; Angela Ostrom; Bob Herman;
Brenda Walker; Bryan Gibb; Curt Decker; David Morrissey; Delores Scott; Eric
Bridges; Jenifer Simpson; Jennifer Li; June Isaacson Kailes; Madonna Long;
Margaret Nygren; Mark Richert; Mary Andrus; Mary Pauline Jones; Maureen
Fitzgerald; MFitzgerald at Thearc.org; Rabbi Lynne Landsberg; Sarah Yates
Cc: NDRN Staff; howard.rosenblum at nad.org; kelly at ncil.org; dara;
Sidhu,Mehgan; Blake, Lou Ann (LBlake at nfb.org); Essie Pederson
(essie.pederson at gmail.com); Patty Anderson
(panderson at disabilityrightstx.org); Mercedes Restucha-Klem
Subject: [Election Protection] Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division,
Voting Section Election-Day Plan

Yesterday, the National Disability Rights Network, National Association of
the Deaf, National Council on Independent Living, National Federation of the
Blind, VetsFirst/United Spinal Association and  other disability
organizations met with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights
Division, Voting Section. Discussions included the Department's plan and
process for ensuring that all voters with any type of disability can cast a
private and independent ballot on November 6.  The following Press Release
outlines DOJ's Election-Day Plan.  Also, see
<http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/October/12-opa-1245.html>
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/October/12-opa-1245.html. 

 <javascript:PrintPreview();> Printer Friendly Icon

Justice News Banner

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Protecting the Right to Vote and Prosecuting Ballot Fraud

In anticipation of the upcoming election, the Justice Department today
provided information about its efforts, through the Civil Rights and
Criminal Divisions, to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity
to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination,
intimidation or fraud in the election process . 

Civil Rights Division:

The Civil Rights Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with the
civil provisions of federal laws that protect the right to vote, and with
federal criminal laws prohibiting discriminatory interference with that
right. 

The Civil Rights Division's Voting Section enforces civil provisions of
federal laws that protect the right to vote including: the Voting Rights
Act; the National Voter Registration Act; the Uniformed and Overseas
Citizens Absentee Voting Act; and the Help America Vote Act. Among other
things, these laws:

.      prohibit discrimination based on race or membership in a minority
language group; 

.      prohibit intimidation of voters; 

.      provide that voters who need assistance in voting because of
disability or illiteracy can obtain assistance from a person of their
choice;

.      require minority language election materials and assistance in
certain jurisdictions;

.      provide for accessible election machines for voters with
disabilities; 

.      require provisional ballots for voters who assert they are eligible
but whose names do not appear on poll books; provide for absentee ballots
for service members, their family members and U.S. citizens living abroad;
and

.      require states to ensure that citizens can register at drivers'
license offices, public assistance offices , other state agencies and
through the mail; and include requirements regarding maintaining voter
registration lists. 

The Civil Rights Division's Criminal Section enforces federal criminal
statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and suppression based on race,
color, national origin or religion.

As it has in the past, on Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012, the Civil Rights
Division will implement a comprehensive program to help ensure ballot access
that will include the following:

.                Shortly before the election, the Civil Rights Division will
announce which jurisdictions will have federal personnel as election
monitors and observers at polling places.

.                Civil Rights Division attorneys in both the Voting and
Criminal Sections in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive
election-related complaints of potential violations relating to any of the
statutes the Civil Rights Division enforces. Attorneys in the division will
take appropriate action and will consult and coordinate with local U.S.
Attorneys' Offices and with other entities within the Department of Justice
concerning these complaints before, during, and after Election Day, as
appropriate. 

Civil Rights Division staff will be available by phone to receive complaints
related to ballot access (1-800-253-3931 toll free or 202-307-2767) or by
TTY (1-877-267-8971). In addition, individuals may also report complaints,
problems, or concerns related to voting by fax to 202-307-3961, by email to
<mailto:voting.section at usdoj.gov> voting.section at usdoj.govand, closer to
Election Day, by complaint forms that may be submitted through a link on the
department's website, at  <http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/>
www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/. 

Complaints related to violence or threats of violence at a polling place
should, in the first instance, always be reported to local police
authorities by calling 911. 

Criminal Division and the Department's 94 U.S. Attorneys' Offices:

The Department's Criminal Division oversees the enforcement of federal laws
that criminalize certain election fraud and vindicate the integrity of the
federal election process.

The Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section and the Department's 94
U.S. Attorneys' Offices are responsible for enforcing the federal criminal
laws that prohibit various forms of election fraud, such as vote buying,
multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations,
destruction of ballots or registrations, alteration of votes and malfeasance
by election officials . The Criminal Division is also responsible for
enforcing federal criminal law prohibiting voter intimidation that does not
involve a basis in race , color , national origin or religion (as noted
above, voter intimidation that has a basis in race, color, national origin
or religion is addressed by the Civil Rights Division). 

The department encourages each U.S. Attorney's Office to communicate with
state election officials before the federal general elections regarding the
handling of election-related matters in their respective districts. In
addition, the department provides annual training for the Assistant U.S.
Attorneys who serve as district election officers (DEOs) in their respective
districts. DEOs are responsible for overseeing potential election-crime
matters in their districts , and for coordinating with the department's
election-crime experts in Washington, D.C. 

On Nov. 6, 2012, the U.S. Attorneys' Offices will work with specially
trained Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel in each district to ensure
that complaints from the public involving possible voter fraud are handled
appropriately . Specifically: 

.                Federal prosecutors at the Public Integrity Section, the
DEOs in U.S. Attorneys' Offices, FBI officials at headquarters in
Washington, D.C., and FBI Special Agents serving as Election Crime
Coordinators in the FBI's 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are
open, to receive complaints from the public.

.                Election fraud or intimidation complaints should first be
directed to the local U.S. Attorney's Office or the local FBI office. A list
of U.S. Attorneys' Offices and their telephone numbers can be found at
<http://www.justice.gov/usao/offices/index.html>
www.justice.gov/usao/offices/index.html, and a list of FBI offices and
accompanying telephone numbers can be found at the "Contact Us" button at
<http://www.fbi.gov/> http://www.fbi.gov. Again, however, complaints related
to violence or threats of violence at a polling place should, in the first
instance, be reported to local police authorities by calling 911. 

.                Election fraud or intimidation complaints may also be
directed to the Public Integrity Section (202-514-1412). Public Integrity
Section prosecutors are available to consult and coordinate with the U.S.
Attorneys' Offices and FBI regarding the handling of election-crime
allegations. 

Both protecting the right to vote and combating election fraud are essential
to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our democratic system of
government. We encourage anyone who has information suggesting voting
discrimination or ballot fraud to contact the appropriate authorities.

12-1245

******************************

Delores L. Scott, Esq. 

Senior Attorney

National Disability Rights Network

900 Second Street, NE, Suite 211

Washington, DC  20002

delores.scott at ndrn.org

Tel: 202.408.9514 x130

Fax: 202.408.9520

TTY: 202.408.9521

cid:image001.jpg at 01C6F776.68192DC0

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