Democrats In New Jersey Charged With Mail-In Voter Fraud
By Nicole Evans June 29, 2020
Two councilmen and two linked to a councilman's campaign in Paterson, New Jersey, have been charged with criminal conduct involving mail-in voting fraud, election fraud, and illegal possession of mail-in ballots.
New Jersey's Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced election fraud charges against Paterson City Councilman Michael Jackson (D), Councilman-elect Alex Mendez (D), Abu Rayzen, and Shelim Khalique.
"Today's charges send a clear message: if you try to tamper with an election in New Jersey, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable," said Attorney General Grewal. He continued, saying that they will not allow a small number of criminals to sabotage the public's confidence in their democratic process.
The case alleges that Councilman Jackson (D) violated New Jersey's election laws when he collecter mail-in ballots from voters in recent city council elections and delivered them to the Passaic County Board of Elections. According to the charges, apparently, Jackson did not identify himself when he dropped off the ballots, and in one case, he took an unsealed ballot that hadn't been filled out yet and delivered it already sealed to the Board of Elections.
Jackson received the following charges:
Michael Jackson, 48, of Paterson—1st Ward Councilman and Council Vice President
Fraud in Casting Mail-In Vote (3rd Degree)
Unauthorized Possession of Ballots (3rd Degree)
Tampering with Public Records (3rd Degree)
Falsifying or Tampering with Records (4th Degree)
Councilman-elect Alex Mendez (D) also violated election laws when he collected ballots from voters and delivered them to election officials without naming himself. The charges allege that Mendez knew he delivered fraudulent mail-in ballots that were filled out by an ineligible voter. Mendez faced the following charges:
Alex Mendez, 45, of Paterson—3rd Ward Councilman-Elect
Election Fraud (2nd Degree)
False Registration or Transfer (Third-Degree)
Shelim Khalique, like the others, has also been charged with the same offenses. Just like the two councilmen, Khalique also did not identify himself when he delivered the mail-in ballots. Rayzen, on the other hand, allegedly procured and possessed more than three official mail-in ballots that were not his and were not for him to deliver. The two face the following charges:
Shelim Khalique, 51, of Wayne, N.J.
Abu Razyen, 21, of Prospect Park, N.J.
Democrats have been pushing for a nationwide mail-in voting process for the upcoming presidential elections in November, claiming that they are only concerned for public health safety. However, recent data has not shown enough public health justification for mail-in voting.