Justice Department Takes Action to Ensure Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in Virginia and Several Jurisdictions

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The Justice Department announced today plans to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws in Virginia and several jurisdictions for the Nov. 7 general election.

For this election, the Civil Rights Division will monitor for compliance with the federal voting rights laws on Election Day in jurisdictions across the country, including Prince William County, Virginia. The Department has assigned federal observers to monitor the election there to specifically observe the county’s compliance with Section 203 and 208 of the Voting Rights Act regarding the availability of election assistance and materials in Spanish for Spanish-speaking voters with limited English proficiency. Other counties to be monitored are Pawtucket and Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Union County, New Jersey; and Madison County and Panola County, Mississippi.

United States Attorney Jessica D. Aber additionally announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Harvey, Avi Panth, and Anthony Mozzi will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming election. Assistant U.S. Attorney Harvey has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern Virginia region, Assistant U.S. Attorney Panth for the Central Capitol region, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mozzi for the Tidewater region. In this capacity, they are 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 Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

The Department of Justice and EDVA have an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also 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 on November 7, the DEOs will be on duty while the polls are open. From 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., any calls should be directed to 703-299-3700. From 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., calls should be directed to the below phone numbers:

Northern Virginia - Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey, 703-299-3700

Tidewater region - Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Mozzi, 757-441-6331

Central Capitol region - Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth, 804-819-5400

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.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ The Civil Rights Division enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The division regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with the federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the division also deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. 

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, the Civil Rights Acts and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

Visit www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section for more information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting rights laws.

More information about the federal civil rights laws is available at the Civil Rights Division’s website at justice.gov/crt.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.