U.S. Attorney’s Office announces points of contact for election fraud and voting rights concerns

Press Release

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) Jordan Harvey, Avi Panth, and Anthony Mozzi will lead the Office's efforts in connection with the Justice Department's nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming Nov. 5, 2024, general election. AUSAs Harvey, Panth, and Mozzi have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEOs) for the Eastern District of Virginia, and in that capacity 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.

"Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election," said U.S. Attorney Aber. "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 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. 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).

"The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy," said U.S. Attorney Aber. "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. 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 Harvey, Panth, and Mozzi will be on duty in this District while the polls are open."

Contact information for the DEOs is as follows:

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. The FBI field offices in the Eastern District of Virginia can be reached by the public at:

Washington Field Office - 202-278-2000

Richmond Field Office 804-261-1044

Norfolk Field Office - 757-455-0100

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC, by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

"Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate," said U.S. Attorney Aber. "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."

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

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Updated October 18, 2024