Oct 28, 2008 2:51 pm US/Central
Feds To Monitor Election For Fraud
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
The U.S. Attorney's Office will monitor the general election in Chicago and surrounding suburbs next Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald announced Tuesday.
As part of the monitoring effort, the office will operate a hotline for candidates or the public to call to report any complaints relating to voting. In addition, Assistant U.S. Attorneys will be available to respond to complaints as needed, according to a release Tuesday from Fitzgerald's office.
The hotline number, staffed on Election Day only, is (312) 469-6157.
"This office has a long tradition of monitoring the polls on Election Day." Fitzgerald said. "No one who is entitled to vote should in any way be inhibited from doing so while, at the same time, no one not entitled to vote should corrupt the election."
Coordination of the monitoring efforts and subsequent investigations, if any, will be directed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Heinze. The Chicago Office of the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service will assist in this effort by following up, if necessary, on any election fraud complaints.
Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division's Voting Section in Washington at (800) 253-3931 or (202) 307-2767.
Violations of federal voting rights statutes carry penalties ranging from 1 to 10 years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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