Allegations of ballot fraud swirl in Rensselaer County

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RENsselaer – State Police recently opened an investigation into allegations of widespread mail-ballot fraud that swirled around Rensselaer County following Tuesday’s election, including in several close races in the town of Rensselaer which remain undecided.

The charges, brought by opposing Republican and Democratic camps, come in a year in which a high number of postal ballots were issued to political agents and campaign volunteers on behalf of voters who allowed individuals to manage their ballot.

State Police investigation examines postal ballots in the town of Rensselaer, where incumbent Republican Mayor Michael E. Stammel and a Democratic challenger, former Mayor Richard J. Mooney, have been separated by a handful of votes before Monday, when the postal ballots began. be counted.

A criminal complaint that sparked the investigation was filed by Todd Rutecki, a campaign volunteer for Mooney. The complaint included an affidavit signed by Shawn Redden, a local mason, who claimed he never authorized anyone to request a mail ballot on his behalf.

Public records show that a mail-in vote request purportedly signed by Redden was time-stamped at the county electoral board on October 21. The request to vote gave Teresa Merriman permission to pick up a blank ballot on her behalf. She is a Clerk in the Legislative Staff of the County where Stammel is also Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

However, Redden’s mail-in ballot was never returned to the election office. He voted in person, according to people with knowledge of his situation. Redden could not be reached for comment.

Merriman, who was registered to collect 45 ballots on behalf of Rensselaer’s voters – 36 of which were returned as of November 3 – submitted nominations under name variations including “Teresa Merriman”, “Terri Merriman” and “Terri Mahar ”.

“I am a longtime resident of Rensselaer and some residents know me by my married name from Merriman and some know me by my mahar name from Mahar,” she said in a statement. “I have worked on campaigns for two decades and have always conducted myself in an honest and ethical manner.”

Ed McDonough, the Democratic Elections Commissioner for Rensselaer County, said an executive order that has remained in place this year due to the pandemic allowed absentee voting “without excuse”, resulting in an extraordinarily high number of ” “ballot releases” – a term that describes the practice of someone allowing another person to collect and submit their sealed mail-in ballot to the polling station.

A ballot proposal that would have allowed the legislature to amend the electoral law to make permanent voting for absentees “without excuse” was rejected by voters last week. But without rules limiting who can vote by mail, politicians have raised allegations of fraud.

In one instance, McDonough said, about 66 mail-in ballots were processed on behalf of about 90 residents of a senior citizen’s residence in north Troy. He said his office learned that some of those residents would have felt pressured to sign the postal voting requests, which were handled by their building manager. The Times Union does not identify the director, who was running for public office, as the person could not be reached for comment.

“We started getting phone calls from people, even more friends of residents, who contacted on their behalf because residents felt intimidated by (the candidate) to get the ballot and give it to (the person )”, did he declare. . “I contacted the state electoral council and said that I had spoken to three different people; however, of the three people, none of them were willing to file a complaint.”

McDonough said residents have made it known they fear being evicted from their residence if they don’t vote or file a complaint. He added that much of the focus of any alleged fraud is centered on the town of Rensselaer.

Still, the Times Union has reached out to many Rensselaer residents who have signed requests for Merriman to manage their mail-in ballots. Although one person declined to comment, the others confirmed that they allowed Merriman to pick up their ballot, give it to them, and then return it to the electoral board. A woman said Merriman didn’t ask her to vote for a particular candidate and filled it out inside her residence – then put it in a sealed envelope – while Merriman waited nearby .

Rich Crist, who is a confidant of Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and a senior GOP official, said the Republican Party had seized on the rule change that allowed any voter to use a ballot. postal vote this year. They deployed many people, including county employees using “working time,” to get permission from many voters who might not show up normally at polling stations but were ready to vote by mail.

Crist said the strategy paid off and Republicans recorded many wins on election day.

“This is part of our overall campaign effort, where our candidates have knocked on thousands of doors, made numerous calls and / or sent messages to reach voters, and made a significant effort to get voters to the polls or to do so. registering their votes, recognizing the pandemic might make some hesitant and that the rules and laws have been changed to accommodate these concerns, ”Crist said.

Almost a third of all mail ballots received by election officials in Rennselaer as of November 3 were handed over to third parties on behalf of voters, and at least 53 of the 64 ballots in this category were handed over to third parties. GOP agents for distribution. After Merriman, the person who thus attracted the most voters to the town of Rensselaer was Cheyenne MacGilfrey, who ran as the Republican candidate for the post of town treasurer.

Although postal ballots must be deposited or postmarked on election day, the local electoral board will continue to accept those arriving by mail until November 9.

Rensselaer’s Republican Election Commissioner Jason Schofield echoed Crist, saying the GOP has worked very hard to attract absent voters. Records show that the only ballot Schofield picked up for a resident of the town of Rensselaer was sent on time. But he noted that unapologetic mail-in ballots in New York City, which have been widely used by Democratic and Republican voters this election cycle, could be short-lived.

“The referendum to hold unapologetic (permanent) mail ballots was rejected by voters,” Schofield said, referring to one of three statewide proposals in the Nov. 2 poll. which did not gain majority support, to the surprise of Democratic supporters. .

There are allegations of postal voting discrepancies targeting Democrats as well. Mooney’s brother John submitted a request for a postal vote in late October on behalf of a 46-year-old Rensselaer man who was hospitalized with COVID-19 and was on a ventilator when he signed the request on October 25 , according to people familiar with the state of the man.

In an interview on Friday, John Mooney said he handed the request for the postal vote to the man’s brother, who lives near his home, after discussing the hospitalized man’s desire to always vote in the race At the mayor. Although the man’s signature appears slightly different from his signature in other documents filed with the election office, he is said to have signed the request for absence at a time when he was sedated and out of sedation in a bed of hospital.

Beau Duffy, a state police spokesperson, confirmed on Friday that his agency “is investigating a voter fraud complaint regarding the elections in the town of Rensselaer. (I) cannot go into more detail since the ‘investigation is open.

Duffy said state police are asking anyone with information about voter fraud in Rensselaer to contact investigators at 518-786-2440.

Stammel and the all-Democratic seven-member Common Council have been at political disagreement since being elected in 2019 to fill the last two years of former Democratic mayor Daniel Dwyer, who died in November 2018.

Mooney succeeded Dwyer as Chairman of the Common Council in 2018 before losing the 2019 special election to Stammel by 164 votes.

Kenneth C. Crowe II contributed reporting for this story.

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