Chamber News Feed: Somerset County, NJ: (BERNARDSVILLE, NJ) The Somerset County Democratic Party has challenged 17 ballots in Bernardsville, party chair Peg Schaffer told media Tuesday afternoon. The ballots, submitted primarily by college-age students, belonged to the children of borough Republicans and all the signatures didnt match copies on file with the Board of Elections Office in Somerville, Schaffer said. The voters are away in college and couldnt go to their local polling place, she said. Some of the signatures are close but some are not close, Schaffer said. Schaffer said the party acted on a tip that came from a borough Republican. Schaffer said the person who provided the tip said that in the past some Republicans in the borough have had absentee ballots with their childrens names sent to their homes and then filled out by the parents. Bernardsville Democratic Chairman Robert Frawley is running alongside Joseph Latino against Republicans William Youngblood and Peter Birnbaum for two, three-year council terms. A local media source quoted Bernardsville GOP Chairman A.Q. Skip Orza saying ballots cast by his two sons were among those that might be challenged. But he said his sons had gone to Somerville while on college break to fill out forms and cast their ballots. Maybe theyre (the Democrats) trying to disenfranchise young voters, the paper quoted him saying. A panel from the Board of Elections is expected to review the challenges and rule on the contested ballots. Following the hearing before the Board of Elections, Schaffer told media that four of the ballots have been rejected. Later, the judge reserved ruling on three to see if they make a difference in the election. Somerset County Republican Committee chair Al Gaburo called the allegations frivolous and said its despicable that the Democratic chair would target college-age students and try to disenfranchise them, young voters who should be encouraged to participate in the voting process. Gaburo said the matter is going before the Board of Elections in Somerville Tuesday evening and it could be decided immediately. If not, itll go before a judge before the results of the election are final. Your Bernards Township Regional Chamber of Commerce Works for You!
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:11:52 +0000
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