U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney United States Attorney
Robert Nardoza Ellen Davis, Edeli Rivera, Jessie Erwin
Public Information Office Public Information Office
(718) 254-6323 (212) 637-2600
Marisa Seifan David J. Kennedy
Assistant U.S. Attorney Assistant U.S. Attorney
(718) 254-7000 (212) 637-2733
PREET BHARARA and LORETTA LYNCH, the United States
Attorneys for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York,
respectively, announced today that special telephone numbers have
been set up to receive complaints of possible violations of federal
election laws relating to the upcoming general elections in New
York City and other counties in their districts.
The U.S. Attorneys said that their Offices will be
available to receive complaints at the following numbers on
Tuesday, November 2, 2010:
(212) 637-2987 (for Manhattan, Bronx, Dutchess, Orange,
Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan and Westchester
counties) and
(718) 254-7000 (for Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau
and Suffolk counties)
In addition, complaints of possible violations of federal
election laws may be made directly to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation at (212) 384-1000.
Spokespersons for the U.S. Attorneys said that the
enforcement of federal laws protecting the rights of all eligible
persons to vote for the candidates of their choice is a high
priority of the Department of Justice.
It is unlawful under federal law to deny or abridge
anyone’s right to vote because of race, color or national origin.
Federal laws also require local election authorities to make voting
accessible to disabled and elderly voters. Voters who require
assistance because of blindness, disability or inability to read
and write have the right to receive such assistance from a person
of their own choosing. In counties with substantial numbers of
non-English speaking voters, federal laws prohibit the denial or
abridgement of a voter’s ability to participate in the election
process in certain languages other than English (i.e., Spanish,
Chinese, Korean).
In addition, certain activities designed to subvert the
integrity of the election process are federal crimes. It is a
federal crime, for example, to deprive citizens of their right to
fair elections or to conspire to do so. Specific election laws
also make it a crime to bribe or intimidate voters, to cause
ballots to be cast fraudulently in the names of individuals who did
not vote (“ballot stuffing”), to vote more than once, or to alter
or falsely report the vote count. It can also be a federal offense
to challenge qualified voters without cause and in bad faith or to
harass persons seeking to vote for the purpose of discouraging
their vote.
The spokespersons said that the ability of federal law
enforcement authorities to detect and eliminate improper
restrictions on voting rights and to prosecute election fraud
depends to a large extent on the watchfulness and cooperation of
the voters. It is therefore imperative that those who have been
asked to participate in illegal election practices, who have been
the subject of such practices, who have observed such practices, or
who have information bearing on such practices, make that
information known promptly to the FBI or the United States
Attorneys at the telephone numbers listed above.
The U.S. Attorneys also noted that the following
additional telephone numbers are available on election day for
citizens to call for routine inquiries, such as where to vote or
how late the polls are open, or to register complaints that may
concern violations of New York State election laws:
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IN NEW YORK CITY
City Board of Elections
Main Office (212) 487-5300
(212) 868-3692
Bronx (718) 299-9017
Brooklyn (718) 797-8800
Manhattan (212) 886-2100
Queens (718) 730-6730
Staten Island (718) 876-0079
IN COUNTIES OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY
County Boards of Elections
Dutchess (845) 486-2473
Nassau (516) 571-2411
Orange (845) 291-2444
Putnam (845) 278-6970
Rockland (845) 638-5172
Suffolk (631) 852-4500
Sullivan (845) 794-3000
Westchester (914) 995-5700
Assistant U.S. Attorney DAVID J. KENNEDY is responsible
for overseeing the handling of complaints of voting rights abuses
and election fraud for the Southern District of New York.
Assistant U.S. Attorney MARISA SEIFAN is responsible for
overseeing the handling of complaints of voting rights abuses and
election fraud for the Eastern District of New York.
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