Paterson vote-by-mail ballots found bundled in mailbox
By Jayed Rahman
Published: May 11, 2020
Hundreds of vote-by-mail ballots for the Paterson municipal elections were found bundled in a mailbox.
“U.S. Postal authorities informed the Passaic County Board of Elections about bundled vote-by-mail ballots within their possession,” said Keith Furlong, spokesman for the Passaic County government. “These ballots have been delivered to the county and set aside.”
Furlong said the Board of Election will determine tomorrow whether these ballots will be counted.
More than 300 mail-in ballots from the 3rd Ward were dropped off at a mailbox in Haledon, according to sources. Hundreds more 2nd Ward ballots were found at a South Paterson mailbox.
“Any potential irregularities will be handed off to the appropriate law enforcement agencies,” said Furlong.
Mail-in ballots have led to fraud in Paterson over the past decade.
In 2010, 14 people, including ex-councilman Rigo Rodriguez, were arrested for voter fraud involving mail-in ballots. Rodriguez and his wife were allowed to enter into a pre-trial intervention (PTI) program to avoid prison time. Both agreed to a lifetime ban on public office and employment.
More recently, in 2017, a Passaic County judge had to invalidate 22 fraudulent mail-in votes in the 2016 2nd Ward election.
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Updated 8:20 p.m.