Four people have been charged with voter fraud stemming from the May 12 special election in New Jersey.
Paterson, New Jersey, City Councilman Michael Jackson, Council-Elect Alex Mendez, and two other men have been charged with voter fraud, according to NJ.com. This comes after the Passaic County Board of Elections had opted not to count 800 ballots across several different municipalities.
Jackson, 48, and Mendez, 45, were charged with fraud related to casting mail-in votes, unauthorized possession of ballots, tampering with public records, and falsifying public records. Mendez was also charged with election fraud.
Two others from Passaic County were also charged.
Authorities began investigating after reports surfaced that hundreds of mail-in ballots were found in a Paterson mailbox and another one in Haledon.
“Today’s charges send a clear message: If you try to tamper with an election in New Jersey, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable,” New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement Thursday. “We will not allow a small number of criminals to undermine the public’s confidence in our democratic process.”
Mendez and Jackson are both accused of approaching voters in the district and taking their mail-in ballots for delivery without being authorized as the bearer, and in Mendez’s case, he also allegedly acquired and submitted at least one voter registration application for someone who knew to be ineligible to vote.
“While it’s gravely disappointing to see another episode of potential corruption in Paterson, I remain hopeful that this is the final chapter in what unfortunately has plagued our city for generations,” Paterson’s mayor, Andre Sayegh, said in a statement.
Voter fraud, specifically mail-in voting, has been a hot-button issue in recent months as Democrats push to expand mail-in voting, citing coronavirus fears. Republicans often oppose it, arguing the mail-in process is susceptible to fraud.
