CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys Lena Busscher and Ronald Huber will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSAs Busscher and Huber have been appointed to serve as the District Election Officers (DEO) for the Western 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.
“The right to vote is the cornerstone of our Republic,” United States Attorney Kavanaugh said today. “The Department of Justice will always work to protect the integrity of the election process and to ensure that every citizen has the ability to vote without interference or discrimination. In addition, election officials, staff, and others working to ensure a free and fair election is carried out will be protected from unlawful threats of violence this and every election season.”
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).
In order 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, AUSA/DEOs Busscher and Huber will be on duty in the Western District while the polls are open. AUSA Busscher can be reached at 276-739-2954. AUSA Huber can be reached at 434-296-3912.
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at tips.fbi.gov.
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,” United States Attorney Kavanagh added. “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.
