Northern District of Ohio U.S. Attorney's Office Announces Election Integrity Plan for 2026 General Election: Two District Election Officers on Duty November 3
CLEVELAND, Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio, in coordination with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, announced on October 29 its Election Integrity Plan for the 2026 general election, setting out how the district will oversee federal voting protections and handle election-related complaints around the November 3 election.
U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer named Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Rotell Dustin and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Shepherd as the 2026 District Election Officers. They will oversee the district's handling of Election Day complaints in consultation with the Justice Department's Civil Rights, Criminal and National Security Divisions in Washington.
Toepfer said his office has partnered with federal, state and local law enforcement to maintain election security, enforce federal laws and address credible threats swiftly, and strongly encouraged anyone who witnesses or has direct knowledge of suspected election fraud, voter intimidation or unlawful voting activity to report it immediately.
The plan lists three enforcement priorities: protecting voter rights so eligible voters can take part in early voting, mail-in voting and Election Day voting free from discrimination, harassment or unlawful coercion; monitoring compliance with federal laws on voter registration and eligibility; and combating election fraud by investigating actionable allegations of ballot harvesting, voter impersonation or intentional disruption of polling places and mail-in ballot processing.
Dustin and Shepherd will be on duty in the Northern District of Ohio while the polls are open on Tuesday, November 3, to respond to complaints and direct them to the appropriate authorities. For northwestern Ohio, call Dustin at 419-241-0767; for northeastern Ohio, call Shepherd at 216-622-3859.
Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws may also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington at 1-855-856-1247 or through its website. In the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, the office advises calling 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities, as state and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 俄亥俄州 Cuyahoga 县投票站内的双语选票填涂说明（资料图，Tim Evanson 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，Wikimedia Commons）
