U.S. Attorney Announces District Election Officer to Ensure Voting Integrity in West Tennessee

Memphis, TN – United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Will Crow will serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Western District of Tennessee for the upcoming general and primary elections on August 6, 2026. United States Attorney Dunavant said, "Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being stolen because of fraud. The Department of Justice will always act appropriately to protect the integrity of the election process." In this capacity, DEO Crow will be responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. DEO Crow will be on duty while the polls are open to respond to complaints and concerns during the upcoming election and ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities. He can be reached by phone at 901-544-4231. In addition, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will have special agents available throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The Nashville Division of the FBI, which covers the entire state of Tennessee, can be reached by the public at 865-544-0751. However, if you witness a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying, and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English). The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations. Anyone with specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud should make that information available to the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ . ###