FBI Arrests Republican Over Ballot Fraud Scheme

FBI Arrests New York Election Official Over Alleged Absentee Ballot Fraud Scheme

The FBI have arrested a New York election commissioner after it was alleged that he took part in an absentee ballot fraud scheme.

Jason Schofield was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart on Tuesday on charges that he unlawfully used the names and dates of birth of voters, in an effort to fraudulently apply for absentee ballots for elections held in Rensselaer County in 2021.

Schofield, a Republican, was released on his own recognizance until his trial, which will be held by U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino.

“He is accused of unlawfully possessing and using the names and dates of birth of voters in connection with absentee ballot applications that he submitted to a New York State Board of Elections website in 2021. The indictment alleges that Schofield applied for absentee ballots in the names of people who had no interest in voting in 2021 and did not request absentee ballots or Schofield’s assistance in voting or obtaining absentee ballots,” Fox News reported.

“In some of these instances, the indictment explained, Schofield also took possession of the absentee ballots issued to these voters, brought them to voters, and had them sign absentee ballot envelopes without actually voting. This allegedly allowed Schofield or another person to cast votes in these voters’ names in Rensselaer County’s 2021 primary and general elections,” the outlet added.

“If convicted, Schofield would face up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of up to 3 years on each of the 12 counts,” the report continued.

The allegations against Schofield come while November’s midterms quickly approach, and Democrats are expected to take more than a few losses in the House and Senate.

Even The New York Times attempted to soften the blow and temper their liberal readers’ expectations in its Monday newsletter, “The Morning.”

The Times suggested that recent polling indicating Democrats are making gains with voters may be wrong, based on an analysis of polling in 2020 which overstated the strength of President Joe Biden’s voting power in multiple places, such as North Carolina, Wisconsin and Ohio, where key Senate races will be decided.

Their senior writer David Leonhardt noted, “The polls reported that Biden had a small lead in North Carolina, but he lost the state to Donald Trump. The polls also showed Biden running comfortably ahead in Wisconsin, yet he won it by less than a percentage point. In Ohio, the polls pointed to a tight race; instead, Trump won it easily.”

“In each of these states — and some others — pollsters failed to reach a representative sample of voters,” he continued. “One factor seems to be that Republican voters are more skeptical of mainstream institutions and are less willing to respond to a survey. If that’s true, polls will often understate Republican support, until pollsters figure out how to fix the problem.”

“This possibility offers reason to wonder whether Democrats are really doing as well in the midterm elections as the conventional wisdom holds. Recent polls suggest that Democrats are favored to keep control of the Senate narrowly, while losing control of the House, also narrowly,” Leonhardt concluded.