GOP Asks NJAG to Investigate Elmwood Park Mail In Ballot Voter Fraud

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Elmwood Park NJ, As a result of the recent criminal voter fraud charges brought against Elmwood Park’s Mayor, Holly Schepisi and Assemblymen Robert Auth, Christopher DePhillips and Kevin Rooney sent the below letter to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal asking for full investigations into all allegations of voter fraud in New Jersey and to set guidelines and procedures regarding vote-by-mail for the upcoming elections.

April 30, 2019

The Honorable Gurbir S. Grewal 
New Jersey Attorney General 
Office of The Attorney General 
RJ Hughes Justice Complex 
25 Market Street, Box 080 
Trenton, NJ 08625-0080

Dear Attorney General Grewal:

This past weekend Mayor Frank Caramagna of Elmwood Park in Bergen County was arrested on charges of election fraud and forced to resign. As you have said in the past, voting is a linchpin of democracy, and protecting the rights of our voters and the integrity of our elections must be resolved promptly and fairly. Prior to the implementation of the new vote-by-mail law, we each expressed concerns regarding the need for proper procedures to be implemented to ensure no corruption of the election process. Unfortunately we now have several examples of why your office must take an active role in investigating any and all allegations of voter fraud throughout our State.

Mr. Caramagna filled in the ballots of other voters between March and November 2017 to help himself win a narrow victory. This is not the first time vote-by-mail has been used corruptly. Last year, the U.S. Attorney’s office charged a Hoboken resident with offering voters $50 in order to apply for and cast mail-in ballots in the November 2013 Hoboken municipal election. Likewise in another Bergen County municipality, a trial recently took place involving unlawful and fraudulent vote-by-mail ballots cast in Westwood, New Jersey in favor of a democratic candidate for Council in 2018. Judge Estela M. De La Cruz, in a written opinion dated February 6, 2019, reversed this close municipal race, holding that several ballots cast via vote-by-mail were indeed mailed to and completed by people who had not lived in the community in years.

Coincidentally, last year county election officials were forced to quickly implement laws automatically providing vote by mail voters a ballot unless they opt out. As we have now seen first hand vote-by-mail ballots provide easy opportunities for fraud and the hastily implemented changes have only lead to more confusion by officials and voters.

The Division of Law and Public Safety has broad powers in the security and integrity of elections by auditing election results (N.J.S. § 19:61-9), examining legal matters brought by the legislature, and providing legal advice to state officers and entities – such as the Division of Elections – consistent with your mission to enforce state laws and the constitution (N.J.S. § 52:17A-4).

We request that you provide legal advice and guidelines for the N.J. Division of Elections to issue rules for county superintendents of elections on handling the vote by mail process to ensure a fair and secure process. We also request a thorough investigation of any and all allegations raised regarding voter fraud.

This is consistent with your initiative to combat corruption and increase confidence in government by forming the Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA).

It is imperative that rules are prepared and distributed to county superintendents of elections to prevent this from happening during the 2019 primary and general elections. We hope to work with you to address this issue and look forward to your quick and efficient response.

Sincerely,