SACRAMENTO - U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Khasigian would serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of California in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the November 8 general election.
The DEO is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington, DC. In addition, Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Scott will serve as the National Security Cyber Specialist (NSCS) and is tasked with preparing for and responding to digital election threats.
U.S. Attorney Talbert said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice is vital 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 through Election Day.
Federal law protects against such crimes as 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. It also contains special protections for voters' rights and allows them to 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 (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).
The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose and those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. To respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 8, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, DEO Khasigian will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at: (916) 554-2700 and (916) 554-2723.
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. The FBI can be reached by the public in the Eastern District of California at (916) 746-7000 or at tips.fbi.gov.
Individuals with complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can call the Justice Department’s toll-free telephone line at 800-253-3931 and also can submit complaints through a link on the department’s website at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.
