The city’s election commission has asked Brooklyn prosecutors to launch a voter fraud investigation after discovering that absentee ballots were issued in the names of deceased individuals for a city council race.
The Board of Elections (BOE) is requesting the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office to examine two particular cases regarding the District 47 election, which involve votes cast in the names of individuals who have been deceased for over ten years, alongside 22 additional votes considered as potentially fraudulent.
Officials did not elaborate on why over 20 votes appeared suspicious, but after an internal review, those votes were voided, leading to the referral to the Brooklyn DA.
The close contest between Brooklyn Republican Party Chairman Richie Balsamian and entrepreneur George Saranalantopoulos could hinge on just a few votes. Reports from election night showed a mere 32-vote difference between the candidates.
The 22 questionable votes were identified during a recent manual recount, with insiders indicating that lawyers from the BOE had been scrutinizing the situation closely.
As of Friday, Saranalantopoulos had a narrow 16-vote lead and had gained two votes in the manual recount initiated on Tuesday. Reports indicated he maintained a 14-vote edge as of Wednesday, according to his campaign.
A source mentioned that Balsamian expressed significant concern about the troubling findings highlighted in the original report by the Post on Tuesday.
The Balsamian campaign has not responded to inquiries for comment as of Friday.
Several individuals associated with the South Brooklyn GOP primary were reassigned during an internal investigation, according to sources.
Brooklyn Democrat Beau confirmed that staff members in that section were reassigned until the investigation results come to light, and NYPD detective Frank Cedio informed the Post about the situation.
It was reported that personal devices and computers belonging to BOE employees were seized as part of the ongoing probe.
Previous election results are set to be certified next week once the manual auditing concludes.
The BOE also announced it is looking into another 22 votes categorized as “potentially fraudulent.”
“The effort to undermine the election process is quite alarming, but it underscores the robust safety measures already in place,” the Board stated in a news release.
“These irregularities were detected early, meticulously investigated, and addressed promptly, showcasing the Board’s dedication to upholding the integrity of elections.”
A representative from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office has not made any comments regarding the investigation at this time.
There has been no immediate response from the Saranalantopoulos campaign regarding requests for comments.
