Leading the fight against fraud
COEUR d'ALENE — Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Haycock, Ray Patricco and Nancy Cook will lead the fight against voting fraud and abuses for this year's presidential elections, U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson announced Thursday.
According to a press release from Olson's office, the three attorneys — leaders of Idaho efforts in cooperation with the Justice Department's nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming general elections — will be responsible for overseeing Idaho's handling of complains of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with the Justice Department headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted. The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process,” Olson said in the release.
The Department of Justice, the release adds, has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and 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 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, 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 acts that intimidate or harass them.
For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice.
“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said Olson. “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.”
To respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on Nov. 8, 2016, and to ensure such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the release states that Haycock, Patricco and Cook will be on duty while the polls are open.
They can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (208) 676-7346 in Coeur d’Alene for Cook, (208) 251-0589 in Pocatello for Haycock and (208) 334-9118 in Boise for Patricco.
Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidating at a polling place should be reported first to local police authorities by calling 911.
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. Coeur d’Alene FBI Supervisory Agent Richard Collodi can be reached by the public at (208) 664-5128.
Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can be made to Jessica Gunder at (208)488-2346 or directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, D.C. at (800) 253-3931 or (202) 307-2767.
“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate,” said Olson. “It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”
The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of a wide range of federal statutes that protect the right to vote including: the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Acts.
Among other things, collectively, these laws:
• Prohibit election practices that have either a discriminatory purpose, based on race or membership in a minority language group, or a discriminatory result, with members of racial or language minority groups having less opportunity than other citizens to participate in the political process
• Prohibit voter intimidation
• Provide that individuals who need assistance in voting because of disability or illiteracy can obtain assistance from a person of their choice
• 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
• Require states to ensure that citizens can register through drivers’ license offices, public assistance and disability services offices, other state agencies and through the mail
• Include requirements regarding maintaining voter registration lists.