NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

BRADLEY J. SCHLOZMAN

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room
5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

NOVEMBER 2, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEDERAL PROSECUTOR WILL MONITOR ELECTION COMPLAINTS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bradley J. Schlozman, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that First Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Whitworth will lead the efforts of his office in the connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day program for the upcoming Nov. 7, 2006 general elections. Whitworth has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer for the Western District of Missouri, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in consultation with Justice Department headquarters.

“We want to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process by protecting against election fraud and discrimination at the polls and by aggressively prosecuting such offenses whenever and wherever they occur,” Schlozman said. “The objective is to guarantee that those who are entitled to vote are able to freely exercise that right, while those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”

Schlozman urged the public to report any fraud or voting rights abuses they witness.

In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses on Nov. 7, 2006, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, Whitworth will be on duty in this district while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 816-426-3122 and 816-426-4122.

The FBI will also have special agents available in each field office and resident agency in this district to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses. The FBI can be reached by the public at 816-512-8200.

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

As district election officer for the Western District of Missouri, Whitworth will join officers in other districts as part of the Justice Department’s nationwide Ballot Access and Voting Integrity Initiative launched in 2002 by Attorney General John Ashcroft.