U.S. Attorney's Office To Monitor Elections In Chicago, Suburbs

CHICAGO — Federal officials will be on the lookout for election fraud, voter intimidation and other abuses this Election Day, John R. Lausch, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said Monday. The U.S. Attorney's Office will monitor elections in Chicago and its suburbs, and the office has launched a telephone hotline for voters to report any complaints.

Anyone who suspects voter intimidation, bribing voters, buying or selling votes, voter impersonation, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes or making ballots for voters against their wishes can call 312-469-6157 or 312-469-6158 to reach the U.S. Attorney's Office on Election Day.

The FBI will also be taking complaints at the agency's Chicago field office. The FBI can be reached in Chicago at 312-421-6700.

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“A crucial part of our democracy is the integrity of our electoral system,” Lausch said. “A citizen who is entitled to vote should not be hindered or prevented from doing so, and we stand ready to help ensure the sanctity of the process.”

According to the news release, the Election Day monitoring is meant to deter election fraud, prevent discrimination at the polls and ensure public confidence in the voting process.

"Federal voting-rights laws protect the rights of voters to mark their own ballot or be assisted by a person of their choice," officials said. "Actions designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places may constitute a violation. Federal law protects against such crimes as 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. Violations carry penalties ranging from one to ten years in prison, and fines of up to $250,000."

Early Voting In Illinois: Take Patch's Survey

Patch also wants to know about any problems you may encounter at the polls. Patch has joined ProPublica and a coalition of newsrooms around the country participating in the Electionland project to cover any problems that prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots on Nov. 3 (or earlier).

Patch participated in the Electionland project in the 2016 election, working with ProPublica to bring you information on long lines at the polls in Brooklyn, the extension of voting hours in Durham County, North Carolina, due to technical issues, voting improprieties in Texas, an election day shooting in Azusa, California, broken voting machines in St. Louis and more.

Here's how to report election problems to ProPublica and Patch:

• SMS: Text the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply).
• WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 850-909-8683.
• Facebook Messenger: Go to m.me/electionland.
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