The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California Friday appointed an assistant U.S. attorney to oversee handling of any complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in the region ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections.
Adam Braverman, U.S. attorney for the district, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties, appointed Assistant US Attorney Christopher Tenorio to lead the efforts in the district in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice’s nationwide “Election Day Program” to battle election abuses.
“We are committed to ensuring that every citizen will have the right to vote without interference or discrimination,” Braverman said in a statement. “Anyone with information regarding voting fraud or election abuses is encouraged to immediately contact our local FBI Office or our District Election Officer.”
Officials were hoping to stop crimes such as bribing voters or impersonating voters, as well as intimidating voters “at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that such actions are necessary to uncover illegal voting.”
Justice Department officials hope to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact to report possible election fraud, the statement said. Tenorio will be on duty while the polls are open and can be reached at (619) 546-8413.
The FBI will also have special agents available to receive allegations of election fraud, intimidation, vote suppression and other election abuses, the statement said.
The FBI can be reached at (858) 320-1800., or information can be submitted to tips.fbi.gov. Complaints may also be made directly to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Voting Section in Washington, D.C. at (800) 253-3931 or (202) 307-2767.
–City News Service
