PORTLAND, Maine — Two federal prosecutors will oversee the handling of election fraud and voting rights complaints in Maine through the Nov. 3 general election, the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Maine said Friday.

U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Benson appointed Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Osborn and Andrew McCormack as the district's election officers under the Justice Department's nationwide Election Day Program, the office said. The two will be on duty while the polls are open and will make sure complaints reach the right authorities.

Osborn can be reached in Portland at (207) 771-3214, and McCormack can be reached in Bangor at (207) 262-4615, according to the office. The FBI said it will have agents available on Election Day to receive reports of election fraud and other abuses; its Maine field office can be reached at (207) 774-9322. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can also go directly to the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in Washington at (855) 856-1247, a toll-free number, or through an online complaint form.

The office said federal law covers crimes including threatening election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, voting by noncitizens, stuffing ballot boxes and marking ballots against voters' wishes. Federal law also protects the right of voters who need help because of a disability or illiteracy to be assisted by a person of their choice, the office said.

Anyone who sees violence or intimidation at a polling place should call 911 before contacting federal authorities, the office said, because state and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and can usually respond faster.

"We are here to ensure a free and fair election, but we need the public's help to pass along what they see or hear," Benson said.

This brief was drafted by AI from a public agency or political press release and published by The New England Signal. Why we use AI for stories like this one.