Two allegations of potential election code violations in Berks County have been turned over to the district attorney for investigation.
At a meeting of the board of elections Thursday, First Assistant County Solicitor Cody Kauffman presented two complaints stemming from the Nov. 4 municipal election. One involved a person casting a vote under another name, and the other involved voter intimidation.
The first complaint was received by a Wyomissing resident who was unable to cast a vote at their polling location after poll workers told them a vote had already been cast in their name.
Kauffman said records show someone checked in at the poll under the name of the resident and cast a ballot prior to the complainant showing up later in the day to vote.
Upon review of the electors in the precinct, Kauffman noted there are no other similar names that might explain the incident. And it does appear the signature of the person who showed up earlier in the day does not match the one on record, he said.
“Under the circumstances, it would be my recommendation to refer this to the district attorney’s office for further investigation,” he said.
The board agreed, voting unanimously to forward the issue to law enforcement.
Commissioner Christian Leinbach urged the authorities to do everything they possibly can to track down this individual and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law, adding he has never seen a case like this before in his nearly 20 years serving on the election board.
“This is extremely troubling,” he said. “The signature should have been questioned by poll workers and I think — for nothing else — this is a demonstration that we need to show during training sessions in the future.”
The second incident involved seven complaints received from residents in Lyons alleging various degrees of voter intimidation.
Kauffman said the issue surrounded the race for mayor, which featured independent candidate Alexander Darlington and a write-in campaign launched by Brandon Pugh. Voters alleged they were approached aggressively by supporters of Pugh as they arrived at Lyons Borough Hall and, in many cases, felt pressured and uncomfortable.
“Our rover who was assigned to that precinct did not note any immediate concerns,” Kauffman noted. “However, given the number of complaints that we received, I think it makes sense to refer this to the district attorney’s office to determine what was going on here.”
The board voted unanimously to forward the issue to law enforcement.
“I think the fact that there were so many complaints and the fact that this was a contentious election makes this move appropriate,” Commissioner Dante Santoni Jr. said. “These are only allegations, but I think it’s something we need to look at.”