U.S. attorney’s office to monitor Chicago-area vote

The U.S. Attorney for Illinois’ northern district plans to monitor voting in Chicago and its suburbs next week.

Acting U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro announced the plans Tuesday. His office is reminding citizens it’s a crime to intimidate or bribe voters, to alter vote tallies, stuff ballot boxes or mark ballots for voters without their input.

Also, it may violate federal voting rights law to question or challenge voters at the polls. And the U.S. attorney’s office says that photographing or videotaping voters, under the pretext of uncovering illegal voting, may violate federal voting rights law.

The federal prosecutor’s office will offer an Election Day hotline for people to report complaints related to voting. The hotline number is 312-469-6157. It will be staffed only on Election Day, which is Tuesday.