FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Cameron Kline, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
(215) 686-8711
cameron.kline@phila.gov
David Thornburg, Committee of Seventy
(267) 861-6040
dthornburg@seventy.org
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Election Fraud Task Force Is Prepared For Tomorrow’s General Election
PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 2, 2015) – Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams today reminded voters to call the District Attorney’s Election Fraud Task Force if they experience any difficulty casting their ballot. The office’s hotline numbers are 215-686-9641,9643 or 9644. And, while joined by President and CEO of the Committee of Seventy David Thornburgh, he reminded all Philadelphians that they need to vote tomorrow.
“When the polls open tomorrow my Election Day Fraud Task Force will be ready to answer your calls, so we want to hear from you,” said District Attorney Seth Williams. “And, thanks to the hard work and dedication of The Committee of Seventy and the men and women of the Election Fraud Task Force, I’m confident that we will have a smooth election as Philadelphians head to the polls to elect new members of the Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court in addition to our next mayor, city council and judges.”
The task force has more than 60 Assistant District Attorneys and several dozen Detectives who are available to address any Election Day concerns. Typically, the task force is asked to respond to allegations of illegal voting, candidate write in issues, refusal of election boards to recognize poll watcher certificates and illegal electioneering.
Over the past twenty years the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and the Committee of Seventy have partnered to protect each Philadelphian’s vote and to monitor Election Day complaints.
“There’s nothing more important in our democracy than voters’ confidence in the integrity of the election process,” said Committee of Seventy CEO David Thornburgh. “The continued vigilance of the DA’s office in responding to complaints is critical to sustaining that confidence.”
The Committee of Seventy will be complementing the efforts of the District Attorney and the City Commissioners with its 1-855-SEVENTY Election Hotline and 300 high school students assisting voters at the polls as Election Ambassador Corps members. Seventy will also be distributing an online voter survey to gauge voters’ experience with the voting process and confidence in the system.
In 2014, Williams created the Election Fraud Task Force to investigate and prosecute allegations of Election Day criminal activity. The task force continues to be part of the District Attorney’s Special Investigations Unit and is staffed by assistant district attorneys and detectives. The DAO will also issue Election Day updates via its Twitter account while the polls are open.
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives and support staff. It is organized into seven divisions: Executive/Administration, Trials, Pre-Trial, Investigations, Juvenile Law, and Special Operations. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecution of over 75,000 criminal cases annually. The main office of the Philadelphia District Attorney is located in Center City Philadelphia at The Widener Building, Three South Penn Square. The Juvenile Court and Child Support Unit are located at 1501 Arch Street, and the Private Criminal Complaint Unit is located at 1425 Arch Street. Additionally, the Charging Unit is staffed around the clock in The Widener Building.