‘Don’t listen to all the rumor-mongering,’ says Gorbea on fears of voter fraud with mail-in ballots
By May 1, all registered voters in Rhode Island should have received their mail-in ballot application, the first step to casting their vote by mail in the presidential primary on June 2.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – By May 1, all registered voters in Rhode Island should have received their mail-in ballot application, the first step to casting their vote by mail in the presidential primary on June 2.
The state is hoping voters will choose the mail-in voting option, rather than voting in person at a polling place, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I get really excited about going in person, I just think that the times right now call for different measures.”
Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea spoke to ABC6 Friday, squashing rumors that mail-in voting makes the state vulnerable to voter fraud.
“The things that people are thinking of are really hard to come by and actually succeed at doing, and by the way, if somebody out there is trying to test the system, it’s a felony.”
Gorbea said a study by the Heritage Foundation has shown that there have been no cases of voter fraud in Rhode Island since 1979.
“I would encourage people to not listen to the conspiracy theorists, to go ahead fill out their mail ballot application that they should have received, get it back to us by May 19, and vote by mail.”
Some people have taken to social media since receiving their mail-in ballot applications, saying, in addition to their own, they also received applications for deceased relatives or people that have since moved out of their residence.
Gorbea said she’s aware of this, and expected it to happen, as the state’s voter list has more than 60,000 people marked inactive.
“What you’re seeing is the result of not having done this in over 15 years. If someone did not tell us that they moved out of your apartment, we have no way of knowing.”
Anyone who receives an application for someone not in their household is urged to send it back, that way the person can be removed from the voter rolls at that address, Gorbea said.
To prevent voter fraud, Gorbea said, once the application is sent back with a signature, that signature is compared by election officials to the signature in the voter registration system. If it doesn’t match, the process is stopped, and that person is contacted.
“There are a number of people, hundreds of people, working right now in the election system in Rhode Island to make sure that you can trust the mail ballot system, and that your vote will be treated fairly and with integrity.”
She hopes people will take advantage of the mail-in ballot option, but if people still would like to cast their vote in person, they can. Gorbea said around 47 polling places will be open on June 2 across the state.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t listen to all the rumor-mongering, just follow the steps, and have your voice be heard.”
According to Gorbea’s office, the total cost of sending out the applications is estimated at $458,000. It comes from Rhode Island’s chunk of the CARES Act funding to help with COVID-19 election expenses.
Mail-in ballot applications must be submitted by May 19.
© WLNE-TV 2020
