United States Attorney Names District Election Officer to Oversee Election Day Complaints

St. Thomas, USVI -United States Attorney Adam Sleeper announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Erik Tate has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer and, in that capacity, will be responsible for overseeing the District's handling of election day complaints related to voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud.

The Department of Justice has 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 and 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.

"Every citizen must be free to cast his or her vote without interference or discrimination," United States Attorney Sleeper said. "The Department of Justice will work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process."

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, voting by non-citizens, 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).

Assistant United States Attorney Tate and other Assistant United States Attorneys will be on duty in this District while the polls are open and can be reached by the public at 340-774-5757. The FBI will also have special agents available to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI can be reached by the public at 787-987-6500. 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 (855) 856-1247 (toll free) or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/electionintegrity.