Fox News exclusive: The closest Congressional race in the nation could be decided by people who don’t really live in the district, and a Fox News investigation has uncovered evidence of voter registration illegalities, including one voter who apparently voted twice.
The candidates, Long Island Democratic incumbent Congressman Tim Bishop and Republican challenger Randy Altschuler, have been as close as just 15 votes apart, out of roughly 180,000 cast in New York’s 1st Congressional District. The latest count puts Democrat Bishop ahead by about 235 votes. But both sides are now challenging roughly 2,000 absentee ballots that will eventually determine if the seat stays Democratic or falls to the Republicans.
A Fox News Voter Fraud Unit review of approximately 438 of the absentee ballot voters, who also maintain mailing addresses in New York City, reveals that 48 have double registrations. They voted by absentee ballot in Suffolk County, but are also listed as current “active” voters on the New York City rolls. Being registered in two separate jurisdictions is illegal and is a felony in New York State.
In addition, our investigation reveals that one absentee ballot was apparently submitted in the name of a Democratic voter enrolled in Suffolk County, while election records at the Board of Elections in New York City show that the same voter voted, on Election Day, in Manhattan.
“It certainly is illegal to vote twice,” warns John Conklin, the spokesperson of the New York State Board of Elections, who said convictions can bring a one year jail sentence.
“If you voted twice, you committed a felony, and I think it would be very difficult to do that by accident. I think that would be something to be concerned about and that the district attorney is going to come knocking on their door.”
The voter in question has an extensive voting record, having cast a ballot in New York City 33 times since 1984. Records show he not only voted in a Manhattan polling place during the general election this past November, but also in the Democratic primary in September. The voter has not returned our request for comment.
The overwhelming majority of the Long Island voters, who are also on the New York City voter rolls, appear to be wealthy Manhattanites who own second-homes in the posh resort towns of East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk, Amagansett and Shelter Island. Many of them voted in Manhattan as recently as last November in New York City’s mayoral election, and in the presidential election of 2008.
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3 Responses
Request for advice/help from an election expert or attorney:
Although I was properly registered and qualified to vote, I was denied my right to vote in the recent November 2 election, in a suburb of Chicago. What recourse or remedy should I seek?
Thank you.
If you have two homes, you can vote wherever you want. That is the law. You just can’t vote twice. Republicans have been trying to break the law in their attempts to deny Jews from NYC who have second homes upstate in the Catskills or Taconics the right to choose where they vote. I hope this is not more of the same.
Also, the standard New York Voter Registration Form provides a space for a new voter to list the place where he/she used to vote. If the registrar in the new county failed to inform the old county, or if the old county didn’t bother to purge the voting list, there is no crime!
charliehall, a couple of months ago the Sullivan Country Board of Elections disqualified a couple hundred frum voters from voting in the Catskills since they said it was not their primary residence.