The State Board of Elections voted in a special meeting on Wednesday to request that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli look into allegations of voter-registration dumping in Rockingham County.
Cuccinelli said in a statement that his office “will perform a thorough investigation of these very serious allegations.”
“Violations of election laws will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth. Citizens must feel confident that one of our most precious rights-the right to vote-is protected and that the electoral process is a secure and democratic one. We will do everything we can to ensure that,” Cuccinelli said.
A voting-registration supervisor contracted by the Republican Party of Virginia has been arrested in the case, which involves the discovery of registration forms found in a dumpster outside a Harrisonburg business.
Colin Small, 31, of Phoenixville, Pa., faces four counts of destruction of voter-registration applications, eight counts of disclosure of voter-registration applications, and one count of obstruction of justice. Small is a voter-registration supervisor employed by Pinpoint, an independent private organization contracted by the Republican Party of Virginia for purposes of general voter registration.
The sheriff’s office investigation began on Oct. 15 when law enforcement received a citizen complaint of voter registration application forms being found in a dumpster behind a business in the City of Harrisonburg.
Under current Virginia law, the attorney general’s office could not open an investigation until today’s unanimous request from the State Board of Elections, or a request from a local Commonwealth’s attorney or a local electoral board was made.
“In performing our duties in this matter, we look forward to working with local authorities and the state police to root out any and all violations of law that may have occurred,” Cuccinelli said.
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