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This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am
making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided
for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed
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Campaign for Justice
BY RICHARD C. DUJARDIN
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Allegations of voter fraud in several precincts in last week's Democratic primary emerged
during a hearing at the state Board of Elections yesterday, prompting the board to call for a state police
investigation.
Laura Perez, who lost to incumbent Grace Diaz in a race for House District 11, and Eulogio Acevedo, who
came in third in a five-way race for City Council in Ward 8, said they were not seeking to overturn last week's
election but that election officials should be aware of what they had found.
Perez said she saw one man who is not a United States citizen casting a vote in a District 11 precinct and said
four neighbors told her they did not vote but a list provided by the Providence Board of Canvassers showed that
someone voted under their names. She said she knows of someone who voted under an assumed name.
Acevedo, who was in a hotly fought race in which Leon F. Tejada edged Wilbur W. Jennings by 11 votes,
appeared before the board with his wife, Maryelyn.
Maryelyn Acevedo said she knew three people who gave their mail ballots to workers from another political
campaign but the votes apparently never made it to the board of elections. But her biggest concern, she said,
was many of the 650 new registered voters in Ward 8 whose names were added this year.
She said campaign workers visited those addresses to distribute campaign material, but were told by people
living at those addresses that they had never heard of those individuals.
"There were many many cases like that," she said. "There were at least 30."
The board's vice chairman, Thomas V. Iannitti, and member John A. Daluz said the state police will investigate
as it did two years ago because of voter fraud in East Providence .
The allegations of voter fraud surfaced as the board postponed until 4 p.m. Wednesday a hearing on a
Jennings ' challenge to Tejada's 11-vote win.
Jennings' attorney, Keven McKenna, wants the board to call a new election because some mail ballots never
reached state election headquarters.
To support his case, he called Vue Xiong, of 50 Netop Drive , who testified that he filled out his ballot and
handed it to Scott A. Slater, son of Rep. Thomas W. Slater, D-Providence, at 7:30 p.m. election night.
Scott Slater testified that he picked up Xiong's wife's ballot earlier in the day and picked up Xiong's after Xiong
returned home from work. He said he gave the sealed ballot to campaign worker Deborah Wesiah for delivery
to the state. According to a list provided by the state, Xiong's ballot was not received or counted.
McKenna said he would be able to identify two other people from Ward 8 whose mail ballots were not counted
either, and that with more time he might be able to find other mail ballot recipients whose ballots were not
delivered or countered.
The board gave McKenna until Wednesday to find witnesses.
According to Robert Rapoza, director of elections, 13 ballots were disqualified from the tally because they had
been rejected by a voting machine either because the voter voted for two or more people in the same race or
failed to connect the lines next to a candidate's name with the black markers.
rdujardi@projo.com / (401) 277-7384
Journal Staff Writer
PROVIDENCE -- Allegations of voter fraud in several precincts in last week's Democratic primary emerged
during a hearing at the state Board of Elections yesterday, prompting the board to call for a state police
investigation.
Laura Perez, who lost to incumbent Grace Diaz in a race for House District 11, and Eulogio Acevedo, who
came in third in a five-way race for City Council in Ward 8, said they were not seeking to overturn last week's
election but that election officials should be aware of what they had found.
Perez said she saw one man who is not a United States citizen casting a vote in a District 11 precinct and said
four neighbors told her they did not vote but a list provided by the Providence Board of Canvassers showed that
someone voted under their names. She said she knows of someone who voted under an assumed name.
Acevedo, who was in a hotly fought race in which Leon F. Tejada edged Wilbur W. Jennings by 11 votes,
appeared before the board with his wife, Maryelyn.
Maryelyn Acevedo said she knew three people who gave their mail ballots to workers from another political
campaign but the votes apparently never made it to the board of elections. But her biggest concern, she said,
was many of the 650 new registered voters in Ward 8 whose names were added this year.
She said campaign workers visited those addresses to distribute campaign material, but were told by people
living at those addresses that they had never heard of those individuals.
"There were many many cases like that," she said. "There were at least 30."
The board's vice chairman, Thomas V. Iannitti, and member John A. Daluz said the state police will investigate
as it did two years ago because of voter fraud in East Providence .
The allegations of voter fraud surfaced as the board postponed until 4 p.m. Wednesday a hearing on a
Jennings ' challenge to Tejada's 11-vote win.
Jennings' attorney, Keven McKenna, wants the board to call a new election because some mail ballots never
reached state election headquarters.
To support his case, he called Vue Xiong, of 50 Netop Drive , who testified that he filled out his ballot and
handed it to Scott A. Slater, son of Rep. Thomas W. Slater, D-Providence, at 7:30 p.m. election night.
Scott Slater testified that he picked up Xiong's wife's ballot earlier in the day and picked up Xiong's after Xiong
returned home from work. He said he gave the sealed ballot to campaign worker Deborah Wesiah for delivery
to the state. According to a list provided by the state, Xiong's ballot was not received or counted.
McKenna said he would be able to identify two other people from Ward 8 whose mail ballots were not counted
either, and that with more time he might be able to find other mail ballot recipients whose ballots were not
delivered or countered.
The board gave McKenna until Wednesday to find witnesses.
According to Robert Rapoza, director of elections, 13 ballots were disqualified from the tally because they had
been rejected by a voting machine either because the voter voted for two or more people in the same race or
failed to connect the lines next to a candidate's name with the black markers.
rdujardi@projo.com / (401) 277-7384
| Candidate for The United States Senate |