Election board decides not to count more than 800 Paterson ballots amid voter fraud allegations
By Jayed Rahman
Published: May 12, 2020
The Passaic County Board of Elections has decided not to count hundreds of mail-in ballots in the six City Council races amid allegations of voter fraud.
Several hundred mail-in ballots were found in bundles in a Haledon mailbox, officials confirmed yesterday.
“The county board of elections made a decision to not count 800+ ballots,” said Keith Furlong, spokesman for the Passaic County government, on Tuesday.
Furlong did not have information on which wards the mail-in ballots were from. The more than 300 ballots found in bundles in a mailbox were from the 3rd Ward. Hundreds more from the 2nd Ward were found in a South Paterson mailbox.
State law bars one person from transporting or mailing more than three mail-in ballots.
Officials said a judge or the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office will have to order the Board of Election to count the 800-plus ballots.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is looking into possible voter fraud in the Paterson elections.
“It is nothing short of outrageous that over 800 voters are intended to be disenfranchised on the say so of what appears to be one person,” said Gregg Paster, attorney for candidates Alex Mendez, Ramon Joaquin, and Eddie Olivares. “This election is a sham, regardless of who are the ultimate victors and this process has to be reviewed by the courts to address the deficiencies in the planning and execution of the election.”
Passaic County Board of Elections chairman John Currie declined to comment on the situation in Paterson on Tuesday.
Paster said he is speaking with his clients to determine whether to file a court action. His clients will decide whether to wait for the results, wait for the certifications, or to file tomorrow.
“There is no shadow of a doubt that this election will be challenged with all of those votes being discounted out of hand with no further investigation,” said Paster.
12,400 people have mailed in their votes in Paterson as of Monday.
Winners of the six ward elections will not be known tonight. Ballots marked May 12, which will still arrive after today, have to be counted.
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