August 26, 2021 - Today, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland convened a virtual discussion with a bipartisan group of over 1,400 election officials to discuss mounting and persistent threats to the safety of election officials and workers across the country, and the Justice Department’s recently launched Election Threats Task Force. Attorney General Garland was joined by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco; Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta; and Director of the FBI Christopher A. Wray.

Attorney General Garland reiterated that the right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, and the right from which all other rights flow. Our democracy depends on protecting the right of eligible voters to vote, and also on protecting those who administer and safeguard our electoral system. He made clear that the Justice Department will not tolerate threats to, or intimidation of, election officials and election workers, and that the Department is committed to supporting them as they fulfill their public duties. Attorney General Garland also stressed that communication between federal law enforcement and election officials is key to combatting threats, and that meetings like today’s are an integral part of fostering strong working relationships.

(Note: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland full remarks are available below.)

Announced by Deputy Attorney General Monaco in June, the Election Threats Task Force is composed of the Department’s Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, the Civil Rights Division’s Voting and Criminal Sections, and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, as well as the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Deputy Attorney General Monaco provided an overview of how the Task Force unites subject matter experts from those offices and agencies to engage with state and local election agencies to better understand and deter threats to elections.

Associate Attorney General Gupta further elaborated on how the Civil Rights Division is participating in the Task Force and working more broadly to protect the right to vote and our country’s electoral processes. She also made participants aware of VictimConnect, a weekday helpline funded by the Office of Victims of Crime that connects victims of crimes and threats to trained professionals who can provide emotional support, information, and referrals in over 200 languages by calling or texting 1-855-484-2846 (855-4VICTIM).

Director Wray explained how the FBI’s Election Crimes Coordinators — FBI Special Agents across all 56 FBI Field Offices — work with state and local election officials on election crime matters. He also stressed the importance of reporting all election-related threats and troubling communications to the FBI, even if it is unclear whether there is a violation of federal law, so that law enforcement can investigate, identify trends, and share information with partners across the country.

Elections officials, including three secretaries of state, a state election director, and a county election supervisor had the opportunity to address and ask questions of the Attorney General and the Department leadership. The meeting ended with a firm reminder that the Department, through this Task Force, will use all available tools to protect the individuals working tirelessly to serve the public and maintain our proud tradition of free and fair elections.

To report suspected election related threats or violent acts, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), prompt 1, then prompt 3. You also may file an online complaint at tips.fbi.gov.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at Justice Department Leadership Meeting with State and Local Election Officials on Threats to Election Workers

Thursday, August 26, 2021 - Washington, DC:

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good afternoon. I appreciate the willingness of so many of you to be with us today to discuss threats to the safety of election officials and election workers. I am doubly appreciative of your willingness to do so on relatively short notice. 

But as you well know, this is a problem that will not wait.

Moreover, it is a problem that is the subject of intense focus by the highest levels of the Department of Justice. That is why I am joined today by the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, and the Director of the FBI.

The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, the right from which all other rights ultimately flow. Protection of that right is a top priority of the Justice Department. Indeed, it was one of the principal reasons for the Department’s founding in 1870. 

Today, we must protect not only the right of eligible voters to vote. We must also protect those who administer our voting systems from threats and intimidation. Only by protecting those who administer the election process can we ensure that the right to vote, itself, is protected.

But no one needs to tell you that. Indeed, you have been making the point publicly and repeatedly. And we have heard you. 

In June of this year, I publicly noted “the dramatic increase in menacing and violent threats against all manner of state and local election workers, ranging from the highest administrators to volunteer poll workers.” Those threats, I said, “undermine our electoral process.” 

And I promised that the Department’s Civil Rights, Criminal and National Security Divisions, the 93 United States Attorneys, and the FBI, would investigate and prosecute any violations of federal law.

Two weeks later, I announced that the Deputy Attorney General would issue a directive to all federal prosecutors and the FBI, which would “highlight the prevalence of these threats and instruct them to prioritize” investigating and prosecuting them. That same day, the Deputy Attorney General issued the directive and launched a law enforcement task force specifically aimed at combatting threats against election officials and election workers. 

The Deputy Attorney General, Associate Attorney General and Director of the FBI will say more about that task force in a few moments.

We are, of course, under no illusions that our expressions of concern and assignment of law enforcement resources has solved this problem. I have personally listened to some of the testimony offered at the July 28 House of Representatives committee hearing concerning threats to election workers. 

And I have read media reports of the threats recounted at the conferences held this month by the National Association of State Election Directors and by the National Association of Secretaries of State.

I want to assure you that our attention to this issue will not wane. The Department is committed to investigating and prosecuting violations of federal law against election officials and election workers, and to supporting your safety and security.

To help us help you, I urge that you preserve and immediately provide to the FBI any threatening communications you receive in any form. Subsequent speakers will explain the best way to transmit that information to the Bureau.  

When the DOJ speakers conclude, we will turn the microphone over to those of you on this call. Hearing your concerns directly will help us organize the Department’s enforcement efforts in a way that is most responsive to the problems you are seeing at ground level. 

I am now pleased to turn the program over to the Deputy Attorney General, who is leading our threats-against-election-workers task force. 

Before I do, I want to thank each of you for the vital work you do – day in and day out – to protect the right of Americans to vote. I recognize that your work has become far more difficult and dangerous, which makes your commitment to public service all the more extraordinary and important.

Source: DOJ Release