Election Fraud/Voter Rights Hotlines: FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be working on Election Day to keep the polls honest, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Voters who are prevented from casting a ballot on Nov. 6 can call a hotline (401) 709-5068 to make a complaint. Also, the FBI will man a hotline at (401) 272-8310 to field complaints about possible election fraud.

In Rhode Island, Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly will be in charge on Election Day while the polls are open. He has been named District Election Officer responsible for "handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

According to the press release, the "Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur."

Typical election frauds include "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," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Voters also have the right to cast a ballot without harassment, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

"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," the office said.

In addition to calling the hotline, people can make complaints to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php

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