PHILADELPHIA (May 16, 2022) –The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office (DAO) Election Task Force (ETF) will monitor, review, and investigate as appropriate criminal complaints regarding voting and activity at polling locations during the Pennsylvania primary election on Tuesday, May 17th. The ETF will remain active until such time as election results are certified. “People out to steal Philly votes go to jail,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said. “We will hold accountable those who are caught intimidating or threatening voters and election workers. Then they get to tell a Philly jury why it was okay to steal Philly votes.”
City Commissioners Chair Lisa Deeley said, “We encourage all Philadelphians to please exercise your precious right to vote. You have until 8:00 pm on Tuesday to vote in person at a polling location or to drop off your mail-in ballot at any of 16 secure boxes located throughout the city. The right to vote is the right to decide the direction of the futures of your loved ones and community. Please do not miss this incredible opportunity, and make a plan to vote by 8:00 p.m. tomorrow.” “Election-related crimes in Philadelphia are nearly non-existent, but the Election Task Force will be vigilant as always, especially in light of the violent and deadly insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” said Assistant District Attorney and ETF Supervisor Tom Gaeta. “We will also be prepared to work with the Philadelphia news media, which has done an admirable job of alerting the public to viral misinformation and disinformation about voting, especially since 2020.”
Starting at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday when polls open, the DAO Election Task Force hotline, 215–686–9641, will be open for members of the public to report issues related to voting that occur outside of the polling place. Call the County Board of Elections about issues inside a polling place at 215-686-1590. The DAO will work with City Commissioners and Philadelphia Police to investigate violations of the Pennsylvania Election Code and other reported criminal activity at polling locations. More than 30 ADAs and DAO Detectives will be monitoring and responding to voting-related complaints about unlawful electioneering, intimidation, and other issues, throughout Tuesday until the final vote is cast. Voters who are in line by 8:00 p.m. when polls close will be permitted to cast a ballot.
Members of the public are also encouraged to report problems related to voting to the national nonpartisan Election Protection hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE.The ETF will remain active until election results are certified, during which time voting machine totals are tabulated, and mail-in ballots — including military and overseas ballots, which are accepted up to seven days post-election — are counted and/or recounted.
CONTACT: Jane Roh, 215-686-8711, [email protected]
