While at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum the Municipal Count of Culebra is executed, where the challenger of the New Progressive Party (PNP) tentatively won by only two votes, the election commissioner of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Gerardo “Toñito” Cruz, denounced at a press conference that his community’s research shows that at least four forms of early and absent-minded fraud have been committed in the island community.
The first of the cases mentioned by Cruz corresponds to four approved requests for early voting by mail in which the same box in Culebra was listed as the mailing address. According to the PPD commissioner, although the four voters whose applications have been approved are registered in the island municipality, “the person who appears to own, manage or control that section has no affiliation with those four voters.”
The four voters whose applications were approved filed affidavits declaring that they were unaware that they had processed such votes, the election commissioner said.
Cruz also denounced the case of a voter who, despite living in the United States, called for an early postal vote, while according to the new Elections Act it would correspond with him to request an absentee vote as he was outside Puerto Rico.
“The voter lives and publishes on social networks that he has lived in the United States for years. He could have asked for an absentee vote (because) you don’t have to justify today why you’re sending the ballot to go to Florida or Texas. This voter asks for the early vote by postal version so that the ballot paper arrives at that mailbox (in Culebra) where his mother and sister also receive the ballot papers … They have already received the early vote by mail, and those ballots are already at the committee arrived and they had all the ballots mixed up, ”Cruz complained.
Similarly, Cruz pointed out that at least four cases have been identified of voters who approved an application for early voting by mail, despite being registered in another jurisdiction in the United States. The Commissioner recalled that, in the summer, after the PPD filed an appeal, the State Election Commission (CEE) It “promised” to exclude more than 5,500 voters registered in other states and territories from its registration, but the agency did not.
‘The EEG never took them off the register. On the contrary, he sent them the ballots from Puerto Rico, including Culebra’s, and they could exercise their right to vote, ”said Cruz.
Finally, Cruz provided a list of seven voters who “have not been domiciled in Culebra for years,” but who received their ballots under this category under the new electoral law, which does not require justification to vote in absentia.
The commissioner assured that, with these 16 cases of possible fraud, Culebra presented the best example of the risks involved in the enactment of the new electoral law.
“Culebra is the best example of the adoption of an electoral law intended to enable fraudulent voting. Now a voter can request an early vote in Away mode, without any explanation. In the same way, voters who are not domiciled in the district can request and exercise their vote and these ballots can be received at any address, ”he said.
The Mayor of Culebra, William Iván SolísHe assured that he will try to bring these cases of possible fraud to the final consequences, regardless of the election result.
“We are going to live up to democracy,” said the city council, regretting that requests for early voting were largely approved after the deadline imposed by electoral law to challenge voters.
According to Cruz, Solís made the references to the EEC so that the agency can investigate the allegations.
According to the Commissioner, the apparent irregularities in early voting could cost the incumbent party the elections. From the summaries of the minutes of the evening of the event, it can be deduced that Solís won in the regular schools and the face-to-face early vote was 28 votes, but was behind by 30 votes compared to Edilberto Romero, of the PNP, in unit 77, which counts ballots in absence, advanced by mail, home and locked up.