U.S Attorney Appoints Election Officer For Northern District

BIRMINGHAM, AL — United States Attorney Prim Escalona announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Cheek will lead the efforts of her office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3 general election.

Cheek has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Northern District of Alabama, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

"The right to vote is the cornerstone of our great democracy. Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination, and the Department of Justice will always protect that right and act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process," Escalona said. "Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. It is imperative that those who have specific information about discrimination or election fraud make that information available to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division."

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also 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 election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through election day.

Federal law protects against such crimes as:

• Intimidating or bribing voters
• Buying and selling votes
• Impersonating voters
• Altering vote tallies
• Stuffing ballot boxes
• 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 acts that intimidate or harass them. For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law.

Further, federal law 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 illiteracy).

Cheek will be on duty when polls open Nov. 3. and can be reached by the public at 205-244-2001.