U.S. Attorney announces Election Day program to protect voters and officials from threats of violence, intimidation

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

United States Attorney Teresa Moore announced Wednesday that Assistant United States Attorney Alan Simpson will lead the efforts to protect voters and officials from possible threats of violence for the Nov. 8 election.

Simpson has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Western District of Missouri, and is 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. It is part of a program ran by the Justice Department.

"Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election," Moore said in a press release. "Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence."

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.

The District Election Officer will be on duty in their district while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at 816-426-4125.

The FBI will also have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other abuses. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 816-512-8200.