2 Federal Prosecutors To Serve As Election Officers, Handle Voting Rights Complaints For Southland Counties
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Two assistant U.S. attorneys will serve as District Election Officers for the Central District of California for the general election this year, overseeing voting rights concerns across several Southland counties.
Lindsey Greer Dotson and Thomas F. Rybarczyk will handle complaints related to election fraud and voting rights concerns in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties through Nov. 3.
The pair will coordinate with the FBI field office in Los Angeles to investigate any complaints and consult with the Department of Justice.
The Justice Department plays an integral role in deterring election fraud and interference at the polls. The department's Election Day Program seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible voting rights violations and election fraud while the polls are open through Election Day.
It is illegal under federal law to intimidate or bribe voters, buy and sell votes, impersonate voters, alter vote tallies, stuff ballot boxes, and mark ballots for voters against their wishes.
Federal law also protects the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free of intimidation or harassment.
The FBI will have special agents available across the country to investigate allegations election fraud and other election abuses through Election Day.
Agents at the FBI's Los Angeles field office, which serves the same seven counties as the U.S. Attorney's Office, can be reached by the public at 310-477-6565.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the DOJ's Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., by phone at 800-253-3931 or TTY 202-305-0082. Individuals may also report complaints by email to voting.section@usdoj.gov and by a complaint form on the Justice Department's website: www.justice.gov/crt/votercomplaint.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
