Justice Department Releases Information on Efforts to Protect the Right to Vote, Prosecute Election Fraud, and Secure Elections

Source: United States Department of Justice

Consistent with longstanding Justice Department practices and procedures, the department today is providing information about its efforts, through the Civil Rights Division, Criminal Division, National Security Division (NSD), and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country, to ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation, or criminal activity in the election process, and to ensure that our elections are secure and free from foreign malign influence and interference.

Civil Rights Division

The department’s Civil Rights Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote and with the criminal provisions of federal statutes prohibiting discriminatory interference with that right. This work is often performed in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

The Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces the civil provisions of a wide range of federal statutes that protect the right to vote including: the Voting Rights Act; National Voter Registration Act; Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act; Help America Vote Act; and Civil Rights Acts. Among other things, collectively, these laws:

  • Prohibit election practices that have either a discriminatory purpose or a discriminatory result on account of race, color, or language minority status;
  • Prohibit intimidation of voters;
  • Allow voters who need assistance in voting because of disability or inability to read or write to receive assistance from a person of their choice (other than agents of their employer or union);
  • Require minority language election materials and assistance in certain jurisdictions;
  • Require accessible voting systems for voters with disabilities;
  • Require that provisional ballots be offered to voters who assert they are registered and eligible to vote in the jurisdiction, but whose names do not appear on poll books;
  • Require states to provide for absentee voting for uniformed service members serving away from home, their family members also away from home due to that service, and U.S. citizens living abroad; and
  • Require covered states to offer the opportunity to register to vote through offices that provide driver licenses, public assistance, and disability services, as well as through the mail, and to take steps regarding maintaining voter registration lists.

The Civil Rights Division’s Disability Rights Section enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination in voting based on disability. The ADA applies to all aspects of voting, including voter registration, selection and accessibility of voting facilities, and the casting of ballots on Election Day or during early voting, whether in-person or absentee.

The Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section enforces federal criminal statutes that prohibit voter intimidation and voter interference based on race, color, national origin, or religion.

  • Throughout the election cycle, Civil Rights Division attorneys in the Voting, Disability Rights, and Criminal Sections in Washington, D.C., will be ready to receive complaints of potential violations of any of the statutes the Civil Rights Division enforces. The Civil Rights Division will work closely with counterparts at U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and other department components to review and take appropriate action concerning these complaints.
  • Individuals with complaints related to possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can call the Justice Department’s toll-free telephone line at 800-253-3931, and can also submit complaints at www.civilrights.justice.gov.
  • Individuals with questions or complaints related to the ADA may call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 800-514-0301 or 833-610-1264 (TTY) or submit a complaint through a link on the department’s ADA website at www.ada.gov.

Complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local authorities by calling 911. They should also be reported to the department after local authorities are contacted.

Criminal Division and the Department’s 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices

The department’s Criminal Division oversees the enforcement of federal laws that criminalize certain forms of election fraud and vindicate the integrity of the federal election process.

The Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are responsible for enforcing the federal criminal laws that prohibit various forms of election crimes, such as destruction of ballots, vote-buying, multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations, alteration of votes, and malfeasance by postal or election officials and employees. See Justice Manual 9-85.210 (discussing requirements regarding election crime matters); 9-85.300 (discussing approach to ballot fraud); 9-85.400 (discussing application of 18 U.S.C. § 592); 9-85.500 (discussing timing of actions).

The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are also responsible for enforcing federal criminal law prohibiting unlawful threats of violence against election workers, and prohibiting voter intimidation and voter suppression for reasons other than race, color, national origin, or religion (as noted above, voter intimidation and voter suppression that has a basis in race, color, national origin, or religion is addressed by the Civil Rights Division often in partnership with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices).

U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country designate Assistant U.S. Attorneys who serve as District Election Officers (DEOs) in their respective districts. DEOs are responsible for overseeing potential election-crime matters in their districts, and for coordinating with the department’s election-crime experts in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices work with specially trained FBI personnel in each district to ensure that complaints from the public involving possible election crimes are handled appropriately. Specifically:

  • In consultation with federal prosecutors at the Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C., the DEOs in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, FBI officials at headquarters in Washington, D.C., and FBI special agents serving as Election Crime Coordinators in the FBI’s 56 field offices will be on duty while polls are open to receive complaints from the public.
  • Election-crime complaints should be directed to the local U.S. Attorney’s Office or the local FBI field office. A list of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and their telephone numbers can be found at www.justice.gov/usao/districts. A list of FBI field offices and accompanying telephone numbers can be found at www.fbi.gov/contact-us.
  • Public Integrity Section prosecutors are available to consult and coordinate with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the FBI regarding the handling of election-crime allegations.

All complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should be reported first to local police authorities by calling 911. After alerting local law enforcement to such emergencies by calling 911, the public should contact the Justice Department.

National Security Division

The department’s National Security Division (NSD) supervises the investigation and prosecution of cases affecting or relating to national security, including any cases involving foreign malign influence and interference in elections or violent extremist threats to elections. In this context:

  • NSD oversees matters involving a range of malign influence activities that foreign governments may attempt.
  • NSD’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section oversees matters involving covert information operations (e.g., to promulgate disinformation through social media); covert efforts to support or denigrate political candidates or organizations; and other covert influence operations that might violate various criminal statutes.
  • NSD’s National Security Cyber Section oversees such matters when they are cyber-enabled (i.e., when online platforms, such as social media and other online services, are central to the commission of the offense), as well as those involving computer hacking of election or campaign infrastructure.
  • NSD’s Counterterrorism Section oversees matters involving international and domestic terrorism and supports law enforcement in preventing any acts of terrorism that impact Americans, including any violent extremism that might threaten election security.

As in past elections, the National Security Division will work closely with counterparts at the FBI and our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to protect our nation’s elections from any national security threats. Attorneys from National Security Division sections will be partnered with FBI Headquarters components to provide support to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI field offices to counter any such threats. The Department of Homeland Security also plays its own important role in safeguarding critical election infrastructure from cyber and other threats.

Complaints related to violence, threats of violence, or intimidation at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local authorities by calling 911 and, after local authorities are contacted, then should be reported also to the department.

Protecting the right to vote, prosecuting election crimes, and securing our elections are all essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our democratic system of government. The department encourages anyone with information regarding concerns in these subject areas to contact the appropriate authorities.

For more information about the department’s work to ensure compliance with federal civil and criminal laws related to voting, please visit www.justice.gov/voting and www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-pin/election-crimes-branch.

Joint Statement of the U.S. Department of Justice and the United Kingdom Home Office on a Multilateral Meeting to Address State-Sponsored High-Harm Physical Threats and Other Forms of Transnational Repression

Source: United States Department of Justice

On Oct. 10, the U.S. Department of Justice and the United Kingdom Home Office convened a multilateral meeting at the U.S. Embassy in London to address the urgent challenge of state-sponsored high-harm physical threats and other forms of transnational repression. The meeting was co-chaired by Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for National Security from the U.S. Department of Justice, and Chloe Squires, Director General for Homeland Security from the U.K. Home Office.

The meeting brought together senior government officials from partner nations that are confronting increasing levels of transnational violence perpetrated by state actors, particularly authoritarian regimes, and their proxies. This meeting included representatives from intelligence, law enforcement, prosecutorial, and policy organizations to share disruption strategies for countering the alarming rise in transnational assassination plots, kidnappings, and other acts of violence and repression.

The engagement was designed to achieve a common understanding of the threat landscape, share operational and strategic approaches to counter the threat, and identify opportunities for ongoing collaboration and partnership. At the conclusion, participants agreed to establish a regular working group to maintain shared visibility into the threat in member countries and to review and develop strategies to increase the capacity of the partner nations to deter and disrupt state-sponsored violence and repression.

OIP Now Accepting Nominations for the 2025 Sunshine Week FOIA Awards

Source: United States Department of Justice

The Department of Justice, Office of Information Policy (OIP) is pleased to announce that nominations are open for the 2025 Sunshine Week FOIA Awards, recognizing the contributions of FOIA professionals from around the government.  Each year, the number of nominations submitted to OIP to recognize the exceptional achievements of federal FOIA employees grows.  As such, OIP is opening the nomination window earlier this year than in previous years to allow more time for review of submissions.

As the Attorney General recognized in his FOIA Guidelines issued in March 2022, “[t]he federal government could not process the hundreds of thousands of FOIA requests that are received every year without its dedicated FOIA professionals.”  Agency FOIA professionals are at the center of ensuring successful FOIA administration and we look forward to celebrating the work of these individuals from around the government.  For this year’s event, OIP is seeking nominations for five categories of awards:

  • Exceptional Service by a FOIA Professional or Team of FOIA Professionals
  • Outstanding Contributions by a New Employee
  • Exceptional Advancements in IT to Improve the Agency’s FOIA Administration
  • Exceptional Advancements in Proactive Disclosure of Information
  • Lifetime Service Award

Nominations can be submitted by agencies or by a member of the public.  All nominations are due to OIP by Friday, December 6th, 2024

Awardees will be recognized during the Department’s 2025 Sunshine Week event on March 17th, 2025.

Submission Guidelines

All agency personnel are eligible for the awards listed below. These personnel can include Government Information Specialists, supervisors, FOIA attorneys, FOIA administrative specialists, or other staff at the agency that meet the award category criteria.

We invite nominations for these awards from agencies as well as members of the public. Agency submissions should be made by the agency’s principal FOIA contact or Chief FOIA Officer.

Nominations must include:

  • The full name, title, agency (or organization if applicable), and contact information for the person submitting the nomination,
  • The name(s) of the individual(s) they are nominating,
  • The award category that best reflects the nominee(s)’ accomplishments,
  • A summary, not to exceed two single-spaced pages, that describes the nominee’s or group’s accomplishments, why the individual or group should receive the award, what they have done that sets them apart, and how their actions benefited FOIA administration, and
  • A short abstract (100 words or less) that briefly outlines the nominee’s accomplishments.

Nominations must be submitted to DOJ.OIP.FOIA@usdoj.gov with the subject line “2025 Sunshine Week FOIA Award Nomination” by December 6, 2024.

Award Categories

Award for Exceptional Service by a FOIA Professional or Team of FOIA Professionals

  • Recognizing exemplary performance by a FOIA professional or team of FOIA professionals in carrying out the agency’s administration of the FOIA. This award recognizes those individuals or teams whose exceptional contributions have significantly benefited FOIA administration. These benefits could include increased efficiency, greater use of technology, reduced backlogs, improved timeliness, and increased proactive disclosures.

Award for Outstanding Contributions by a New Employee

  • Recognizing exceptional performance and notable contributions in carrying out the agency’s FOIA responsibilities by a new employee with fewer than three years of work in FOIA.

Exceptional Advancements in IT to Improve the Agency’s FOIA Administration

  • Recognizing exceptional achievements in making greater use of technology to make information more accessible.  These efforts could include the implementation of new and advanced technologies to increase efficiencies as well as to improve proactive disclosures and the online availability of information.

Exceptional Advancements in Proactive Disclosure of Information

  • Recognizing exceptional achievements by an agency or team of professionals at the agency to proactively make more information available online.  These efforts can include both the posting of more information online and steps taken to make that information more useful to the public.

Lifetime Service Award

  • Recognizing an agency FOIA professional with at least 20 years of work in FOIA administration who has demonstrated high standards of excellence and dedication in the administration of the FOIA throughout their career.

Defense News: Joint forces remove 1,160 pounds of trash from remote San Nicolas Island beach

Source: United States Navy

William “Bill” Hoyer, natural resources manager, NBVC, led the cleanup operations.

“We collected over 1,160 pounds of marine debris, with the heaviest single object being a metal buoy at 109 pounds,” said Hoyer. “Most debris were plastic, having washed ashore from afar, with some commercial lobster fishing gear and treated timbers also collected.”

After weeks of postponed cleanups due to weather delays, the event’s morning provided a brief reprieve from heavy marine layer, allowing personnel to safely transit to the island for support.

“Programs such as this one demonstrate the Navy’s commitment to stewardship of natural resources,” said Capt. Dan “DB” Brown, commanding officer, NBVC. “NBVC has a long tradition of supporting programs that foster community service and protect the environment while also increasing public awareness and understanding of America’s Navy.

Hoyer agreed.

“SNI provides and essential breeding habitat for the California sea lion, northern elephant seal and the western snowy plover,” said Hoyer. “This cleanup effort provides essential support for clean and safe environment these animals and others living on the coast need to survive.”

The Navy transferred control of San Nicolas Island to NBVC Oct. 1, 2004. It’s positioned within the boundary of the Point Mugu Sea Range, the largest instrumented sea range in the world, providing mission essential support to national security as a space for training and weapons testing.

NBVC is a strategically located Naval installation composed of three operating facilities: Point Mugu, Port Hueneme and San Nicolas Island. NBVC is the home of the Pacific Seabees, West Coast E-2D Hawkeyes, three warfare centers and 110 tenants.

Defense News: NSWC PCD hosts NavalX Gulf Coast Tech Bridge Integration Experiment

Source: United States Navy

More than 45 participants from four NavalX Gulf Coast Tech Bridge partner commands—Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD), the Naval Research Lab (NRL) Stennis, the Naval Meteorological and Oceanography Command (CNMOC), and Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO)—collaborated to demonstrate the acceleration of technology development. This exercise successfully integrated multiple unmanned systems from contracting partners to collect and transmit real-time environmental data to a forward-deployed shore station. The experiment also tested novel data exfiltration methods, demonstrated regional partnering, and leveraged prior Navy and non-Navy development efforts to advance subsea warfare (SSW) mission capabilities.

“This experiment was important because it demonstrated a process for rapidly moving from focusing on the warfighter need, sourcing technologies and industry partners, understanding lessons learned from the fleet from using relevant systems, understanding how to accelerate capabilities, and then executing an experiment to demonstrate the sourced capabilities,” said Holly Gardner, NSWC PCD director of Strategic Engagement and NavalX Gulf Coast Tech Bridge director. “It highlights our command’s capabilities and expertise as leaders not only in unmanned systems, but also in systems engineering, integration and test and evaluation. It also highlights NSWC PCD’s role as the lead command in the NavalX Gulf Coast Tech Bridge.”

This exercise illustrated a process for rapidly moving from focusing on warfighters’ needs, to sourcing technologies, and executing successful experiments to demonstrate emerging capabilities. The initial integration testing was completed on schedule, followed by at-sea testing, real-time data collection and processing.

“As a project lead in developing systems, I really appreciate events that focus on integration and forward progress versus ‘demos’ that show the same capabilities over and over,” said Erica Davis, NSWC PCD Skylla Project lead. “This event allowed for development and integration of the systems with the people who support them at other commands. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we worked directly with the teams who are experts in their systems and we all gained a lot of knowledge in other systems and came away with creative ideas how we could integrate in the future.”

This effort was the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of planning that began with an initial workshop focused on developing a collaborative vision for the Gulf of Mexico ranges and selecting capabilities that address undersea warfare mission needs. The experiment included at-sea testing, the collection, fusing and display of data collected from those systems in real-time at a forward-deployed shore station, and transmission of the data to NAVO for further analysis. The experiment is a precursor to CNMOC’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX) 2025 event series, which consists of technical vignettes occurring throughout FY24 & 25 and ends with a culminating event which will be held in conjunction with the Marine Technology Society’s (MTS) Gulf Coast Oceans-In-Action Workshop in April 2025.

It also included four Navy STEM students from programs like SSEP (STEM Student Employment Program), Pathways, and NREIP (Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program) who participated in a real-life, mission scenario experiment. They provided at-sea support and gained exposure to cutting-edge concept of operations, demonstrating the Navy’s commitment to fostering future STEM leaders.

“The demonstration team’s success is the result of planning, passion, commitment and a lot of hard work dedicated to delivering capabilities to the fleet,” said CNMOC Commander Rear Adm. Ron Piret. “Over the past year, our ANTX 2025 team, which is comprised of industry, academia and Navy partners, has focused on proving and integrating technologies through a series of test cases in preparation for the OCEANS In Action 2025 culminating event. The results have been inspiring, and by gauging the team’s enthusiasm – innovation can be great fun.”

The geographical location of NSWC PCD demonstrates the value of the Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range, the largest military test and training range in the continental United States, a national asset. The experiment took place in the Panama City Operations Area’s Surface and Subsurface Range and also highlights the multi-domain SSW operations, which play a critical role in its recent organizational re-alignment to support the U.S. Navy.