Multi-agency task force established to tackle potential voting, election irregularities

By Kyle B. Hansen

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 | 6:49 p.m.

A collection of state and federal agencies have established an Election Integrity Task Force to keep watch on political races and voting in Nevada.

This is the second time the offices of the secretary of state, attorney general, U.S. attorney and FBI have set up the task force.

“In 2008, we had specific complaints that came up and were one of the reasons we formed the task force,” Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller said. “This cycle, we have not yet seen those types of complaints, but we know that it’s going to be a very closely watched and likely a very tight election, so we want to be able to have the type of resources necessary to respond.”

Specifically, in 2008 the task force got involved in an investigation of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which was accused of mishandling voter registration applications.

Otherwise, the 2008 elections went fairly smoothly, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said.

“We didn’t have, that we saw, a lot of the fraud occurring; obviously ACORN was out there, but we were on top of it. We did our investigation; we are now in the middle of prosecution, and we’re getting ready to go to trial in July,” she said. “That’s how the process should work.”

The task force is intended to speed up response time if there is an accusation of voter fraud or other election problems.

“The intent here is to be proactive,” Cortez Masto said. “The worst thing that can happen is you get caught off guard and the time frame within which you have to react slows down. Because we have this key communication, because we’re all talking, we’re meeting on a regular basis to take a look at the issues, if there are any, we will be on top of it.”

The cooperation means prosecutors can more effectively work together to charge people who violate state and federal election laws, Cortez Masto said.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Kevin Favreau said the task force will look at traditional election fraud, such as ballot-box stuffing and fraudulent voter registrations, as well as more sophisticated forms of fraud, such as complex campaign finance rule violations.

“If someone attempts to interfere in this year’s election process for their own benefit or personal cause, we will do everything within out power to make sure they will be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Favreau said.

On Election Day, the task force will work in conjunction with local law enforcement officials and have multiple command centers around the state.

The four agencies have also started training classes for staff to learn from each other and prepare for voting to begin.

Miller said the task force is the only one of its kind in the nation and has been named a best practice by the U.S. Department of Justice for other states to emulate.

Elections are quickly approaching, Miller noted, with registration for the June 8 primary ending May 18 and registration to vote by mail due May 8. To participate in the Nov. 2 General Election, voters must register by Oct. 12.

Voters can check to make sure their registration is up to date at the secretary of state’s website.