Election Day Program to Prevent Voter Fraud and Protect Voting Rights Announced by U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown

Louisiana – On October 31, 2022, United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) Cytheria Jernigan and Karen King will lead the Department of Justice’s Western District of Louisiana efforts in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election. AUSAs Jernigan and King have been appointed as District Election Officers (DEOs) for the Western District of Louisiana, where they will be in charge of 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 Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

The Department of Justice plays an essential role in preventing and combating voter discrimination and intimidation, as well as threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers. Wherever these violations occur, the Department will address them. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program advances these goals while also attempting to maintain public trust in the electoral process by establishing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report potential federal election law infractions.

Threatening violence against election officials or personnel, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, manipulating vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their desires or without their involvement are all offenses under federal law. It also includes additional safeguards for voters’ rights, ensuring that they can vote without interference, including intimidation and other acts intended to deter or dissuade people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act guarantees voters’ right to vote on their own or with the assistance of a person of their choosing (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).

“The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Brown. “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, AUSAs/DEOs Jernigan and King will be on duty in this district while the polls are open. AUSA Jernigan can be reached by the public at our Shreveport office at 318-676-3600 and AUSA King can be reached at our Lafayette office at 337-262-6618.”

If you have a complaint about a violation in the Shreveport, Monroe, or Alexandria areas, please call AUSA Cytheria Jernigan at 318-676-3600. Those with complaints about violations in the Lafayette or Lake Charles areas should call AUSA Karen King at 337-262-6618. You can also email us at [email protected] with any complaints.

Furthermore, on election day, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency around the country to receive claims of election fraud and other electoral violations. The public can contact the local FBI field office in Shreveport at 318-861-1890, Monroe at 318-387-0773, Alexandria at 318-443-5097, Lafayette at 337-233-2164, and Lake Charles at 318-433-6353.

Complaints concerning alleged violations of federal voting rights statutes can be addressed directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or online at https://civilrights.justice.gov/complaint-form.

United States Attorney Brown stated: “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

However, in the case of a violent or intimidating incident, please call 911 immediately and before calling federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over voting sites and, in an emergency, nearly always have a speedier response capacity.

Please visit our website at https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdla/election-fraud and click on the Federal Election Fact Sheet for more information regarding federal elections.