• identify, if possible, a few specific fraudulent voting transactions. After the results of the preliminary investigation are reviewed by the United States Attorney’s Office, they are forwarded to the Public Integrity Section and FBI Headquarters, along with the United States Attorney’s recommendation as to whether further investigation is warranted. At this point, the matter will usually be discussed between attorneys in the Public Integrity Section and the United States Attorney’s Office handling the matter. After this consultation, a grand jury and/or full-field investigation will be initiated in appropriate cases. (b) Grand jury and FBI full-field investigations The purposes of grand jury and FBI full-field investigations are to develop sufficient evidence against specific subjects to support criminal charges. These investigations are often time-consuming and labor-intensive, and generally involve obtaining and examining many election documents. Investigative approaches for two common types of election fraud are discussed below. 3. Investigating Two Types of Election Fraud The most frequently encountered election frauds are absentee ballot fraud and ballot-box stuffing. Strategies for investigating these frauds are similar, but not identical. (a) Absentee ballot frauds Absentee ballot frauds involve the corruption of absentee voting transactions through such means as bribery, forgery, intimidation, and voter impersonation. Investigating these frauds involves identifying specific fraudulent voting transactions, interviewing voters who were corrupted or defrauded, using these persons as witnesses to prosecute those who corrupted or defrauded 93

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