The FBI in South Florida is setting up a so-called “election command post” on Tuesday that will enable its agents to monitor voter security in the Southern District of Florida in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Last month, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe said he had designated a number of federal prosecutors in his office to participate in a national Justice Department program to field election day complaints of “voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud.”
The Southern District of Florida includes Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties and extends from Fort Pierce to Key West..
“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” Lapointe said in an Oct. 18 statement. “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 DOJ programs has been in place for a number of years.
Federal law bars “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,” according to a statement issued by the U.S. Attormney’s office in Miami.
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).
It falls to the FBI to investigate complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities; the assistant U.S. attorneys designated by LaPointe “will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.”
FBI agents are available in each field office and resident agency throughout the U.S. to field allegations of election fraud and other election day abuses. The FBI field office in Miramar can be reached at 754-703-2000.
Also, reports of civil rights violations may be submitted through the Department of Justice’s website civilrights.justice.gov or by calling toll-free at 800-253-3931.