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Pennsylvania state officials discovered that a seasonal election official threw nine mail ballots in the trash, seven of which went to Trump.
“An employee who signs temporarily with an electoral agency assigned to sort mail ballots incorrectly disposes of some UMOVA ballots in the trash,” said the head of the electoral commission, David Pedri. Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA, said in a statement on 9/25.
UMOVA is the term for the vote of United States military personnel and voters abroad. They generally vote early by mailing the ballots before the election.
The Pennsylvania Central District Attorney’s Office said on June 24 that the nine ballots were found in a trash can next to the Luzerne County Elections Commission building. Among these were 7 votes for Trump and two were in an envelope that had not been withdrawn.
Pennsylvania Mail Ballot Request Form. Image: WPXI.
“The Luzerne County election staff did not know who these ballots were for, until authorities released the information on September 24,” the Luzerne County government said in a statement.
Pedri said the interim worker has been working at the county elections office since Sept. 14. Luzerne County Elections Director Shelby Watchilla discovered the missing ballot two days later. “Watchilla immediately opened an internal investigation and informed his immediate supervisor. The seasonal worker was fired,” Pedri said.
Following an internal investigation, Watchilla contacted the Luzerne County Legal Department and was advised to report the matter to authorities. All garbage thrown away by the seasonal worker during the election office’s three business days, Pedri said, “is stored in a container protected by Luzerne County staff.”
The FBI then went through these bags and seized them for investigation.
Under Pennsylvania election law, election officials cannot open ballot envelopes while the campaign continues. Pennsylvania counties are responsible for preserving and protecting mailed ballots. Pedri said Luzerne County “will attempt to contact relevant voters and process their vote.”
Luzerne County and the Pennsylvania Secretary of State are planning additional training for election staff, while installing security cameras to monitor the election office to “ensure all staff adhere to the process.”
Are US Presidential Elections Held? Video: CNN.
A U.S. Department of Justice official said on Sept. 25 that Secretary William Barr reported directly to President Donald Trump about the investigation before the information was released. During a program aired on Fox News, Trump stated that the ballot arrangement in Luzerne County was evidence of the risk of vote-by-mail fraud.
However, FBI Director Christopher Wray said large-scale vote-by-mail fraud is unlikely. “We have not seen any attempt to coordinate national electoral fraud in a major election in history, whether by mail or otherwise,” Wray said at a Senate hearing. America on September 24.
Voters in some US states can vote early by mail or at a polling place in September, even if the election date is set for November 3. The number of early voting voters this year is expected to increase significantly due to the influence of Covid-19. In the 2016 US presidential election, more than 40 million US voters voted early.
Nguyen tien (Follow ABC News)
