U.S. Attorney watching for election law violations (good info)

E-mail press release I received from California's Eastern District:

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SOME USEFUL NATIONAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR EVERYONE IF YOU WITNESS CHEATING, (5 paragraphs below)



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SACRAMENTO: Yoshinori H.T. Himel (916) 554-2700

Friday, October 24, 2008 FRESNO: Stanley Boone (559) 497-4060

www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae


SACRAMENTO, Calif.—United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys Stanley A. Boone and Yoshinori H. T. Himel will lead the efforts of the Eastern District of California in the connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the general elections upcoming on November 4, 2008. Boone and Himel have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers in Fresno and Sacramento, respectively, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters.

On October 8, 2002, the United States Attorney General established a Department-wide Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative. The goals of this Initiative are to increase the Department’s ability to deter voter intimidation, suppression, discrimination and election fraud and to prosecute these offenses whenever and wherever they occur—to make voting easier and cheating harder. Both goals are equally important. It is imperative that in pursuing voter integrity, ballot access is not in any way diminished or harmed. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers the goals of the Initiative. The Program also is intended to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department where the public can report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on election day. The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it, while those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.

To respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on November 4, 2008, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, USA Scott stated that Assistant United States Attorneys Boone and Himel will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. They can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: Stanley Boone, in Fresno, 559-497-4042, and Yoshinori Himel, in Sacramento, 916-554-2760.

The FBI will also have Special Agents available in each field office and resident agency in this District to receive allegations of election fraud, intimidation, suppression and other election abuses. The Sacramento Field Office’s Special Agent Lee Witkowski can be reached by the public at 916-977-2300.

Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767. Where voter intimidation or suppression tactics target voters on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin, please contact the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section at 202-514-3204.

United States Attorney Scott said, “Election fraud and voting rights abuses dilute the worth of votes honestly cast. They also corrupt the essence of our representative form of government. As crimes against both the individual and the government, they will be dealt with promptly and aggressively. Anyone who has information suggesting electoral corruption or voting rights abuses should make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.”

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http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae/index.html