District Election Officer Appointed

United States Attorney Robert Clark Corrente has appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly to serve as the federal District Election Officer for Rhode Island for the 2006 general elections. Mr. Donnelly is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donnelly will supervise the investigation and prosecution of any federal election fraud matters that arise out of the November 7 election. He will work in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

he appointment was made pursuant to the Ballot Access and Voting Integrity that the Department of Justice established in 2002. The objectives of the initiative are to increase the Department’s ability to deter election fraud and discrimination at the polls and to prosecute election offenses whenever and wherever they occur.

The initiative is also intended to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact where the public can report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on Election Day.

Allegations of election fraud may be reported to:

U.S. Attorney’s Office 401-709-5000
FBI 401-272-8310
Rhode Island State Police 401-444-1000

–or–

The appropriate municipal police department

Complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington at 1-800-253-3931 or 202-307-2767.

Forms of election abuse covered by federal law include voter bribery, voter intimidation, and ballot forgery.

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Contact: 401-709-5032 Thomas.connell@usdoj.gov

Find news and information on the U.S. Attorney’s Web site: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ri/