United States Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. Thursday appointed Assistant United States Attorney Karen Haughton to lead the efforts in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the Tuesday general election.
Haughton has been appointed to serve as the district election officer for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with the Justice Department in Washington.
“The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combating discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud,” Easley said. “The department will address these violations wherever they occur. The department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.”
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, 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 the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.
The Voting Rights Act 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 inability to read or write in English.
In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, the DEO will be on duty in this district while the polls are open.
The DEO can be reached by the public at the following telephone number, 919-856-4530 or 919-856-4808, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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 local FBI field office can be reached by the public by calling 704-672-6100 or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington by complaint form at this link or by phone at 800-253-3931.
In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. “State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency,” Easley said.
