Election officials in Warwick, Rhode Island, have discovered dead voters’ names on Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s nomination papers.
In a report, the Warwick Board of Canvassers revealed several deceased voters’ names were found on the paperwork of Ramaswamy’s nomination papers.
The Coventry Board also had to “invalidate an unusually high number of signatures” submitted on behalf of the Ramaswamy’s campaign.
Ben Smith, who serves as a spokesperson for Rhode Island’s Board of Election, stated “The Board of Elections asked for local boards of canvassers to be extra vigilant and to notify them if they see patterns of fraudulent signatures,”
Presidential campaign accused of putting dead people on RI nomination papers – via @WPRI12 https://t.co/h055MUcLVP
— FOX Providence (@FOXProvidence) January 13, 2024
Per WPRI:
Rhode Island is now dealing with what could be its second signature scandal in less than a year, this time involving a presidential candidate.
From Providence to Hopkinton, local canvassers are reporting an increased number of invalid signatures on nomination papers for Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as the No Labels Party.
In Warwick, canvassers say signatures filed by Ramaswamy’s team included dead voters.
“Any violation of this process could be a felony,” Secretary of State Gregg Amore told Target 12.
The Board of Elections reported an “unusually high” number of invalid signatures on nomination papers in about a half dozen communities Thursday.
In response to the scandal, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy’s campaign blamed Ground Game LLC, a vendor used to collect signatures, for the dead voter’s names appearing on Vivek’s nomination papers.