Department of Justice to monitor San Francisco vote

By Elizabeth Daley, Bay City News Service

November 5, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - U.S. Department of Justice officials will be on hand to monitor Election Day proceedings Tuesday in San Francisco for complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses, U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan announced.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Li-Ming Wang will be in charge of overseeing Northern California's district elections, according to Ryan.

"Election fraud and voting rights abuses dilute the worth of votes honestly cast,'' Ryan said. "These abuses also corrupt the essence of our representative form of government.

As crimes against both the individual and the government, they will be dealt with promptly and aggressively. Anyone who has information suggesting electoral corruption or voting rights abuses should make that information available immediately to my office, the FBI or the civil rights division,'' he said.

San Francisco Department of Elections Campaign Services Manager Rachel Gosingfiao said the most common complaints voters have is that polling places don't open on time, or that they are short of poll workers.

Gosingfiao said the FBI may observe elections, but they are not allowed to do anything that might obstruct the voting process.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported that on Oct. 8, a department-wide ballot access and voting integrity initiative was established to increase the Department of Justice's ability to deter election fraud and discrimination at the polls and "to make voting easier and cheating harder.''

Gosingfiao said certain polling places in San Francisco require poll workers to be bilingual in order to serve San Francisco's diverse population and that government officials try to visit these polling places to ensure that bilingual poll workers are on hand.

The Department of Justice is encouraging voters to report Election Day fraud by contacting Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Li-Ming Wang at (415) 436-7200 or (415) 436 7072.

Voters may also contact the FBI at (415) 553-7400 and complaints about ballot access problems or discrimination can be filled with the Civil Rights Voting Section in Washington at (800) 253-3931 or (202) 307-2767.

Copyright © 2006 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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