Lynchburg City Council Candidate Challenges Legitimacy of Republican Primary Results, Citing Irregularities and Potential Tampering
Peter Alexander, a candidate for the City Council of Lynchburg, Virginia, has lodged a formal complaint in the Lynchburg Circuit Court, questioning the legitimacy of the recent Republican primary election results.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported the campaigns of Peter Alexander and Chris Faraldi, both candidates in the June 18th primary for City Council in Ward 4, have reported multiple irregularities, including issues with mail-in ballots and potential breaches in the chain of custody.
There are significant concerns regarding the chain-of-custody of ballots collected from drop boxes. Additionally, absentee ballot processing began before observers were permitted to monitor the process. Records also show that ballot box seals were broken before observers could watch, suggesting potential tampering or mishandling of ballots.
Read the press release from Peter Alexander’s campaign:
Our observer was turned away from absentee ballot processing when it was scheduled to start at noon and asked to return 30 minutes later. Records show that ballot box seals were broken and absentee ballot processing started before our observer was permitted access to watch the process.
My opponent did not have any official observers present until after we raised concerns about the chain of custody of drop box ballots. Election staff confirmed that it had been standard practice to allow the ballot drop box to be stuffed until Friday, which violates Virginia law.
Staff also stated the drop box was emptied Friday morning, but did not produce records documenting access to the drop box until nearly an hour after our observer requested receipts. It is still unclear how many ballots were collected from the drop box, and we may never know how many were stuffed in the drop box after the polls closed.
Shortly after our campaign raised concerns about the chain of custody of drop box ballots, the number of ballots retrieved from the drop box, and the legality of stuffing the ballot box after the polls closed, electoral board member Steve Troxel pulled senior election staff aside for a private conversation concealed from our observation.
It should be noted that after the concealed conversation with staff, the Lynchburg electoral board held an emergency meeting. There was chaos during the emergency meeting, and they attempted to take a public meeting behind closed doors.
After the meeting adjourned, Electoral Board member Steven Troxel asked observers to not discuss the events with the media. Electoral board chair and attorney David Levy told Troxel, “as your chairman-lawyer, I think you’ve said enough.”
It should be noted that Crux Consulting, LLC is listed on Chris Faraldi’s campaign finance report as a vendor, and it is registered to Steven Michael Troxel of Lynchburg, Virginia. Faraldi’s campaign observers showed up within one hour of Troxel’s private conversation with senior registrars’ office staff.
Our opponent has expressed his own concerns about violations of state code and breach of procedures, yet there is no record of disclosure regarding the relationship between political firm Crux Consulting, Lynchburg Electoral Board member Steven Troxel, and candidate Chris Faraldi.
With a razor-thin margin, this election is headed straight for a fully observable recount that must be completed by hand. Democrats have crossed over in historic numbers in this Republican primary to support the tax-and-spend policies of Chris Faraldi.
Faraldi has shown that he craves power, exercises poor judgment, and acts without maturity by reacting impulsively for political manipulation. Now, he has an opportunity to show Lynchburg that he cares about the will of the electorate and join us in demanding a full manual recount and audit of the June 18th Republican primary, including:
- Spoiled ballots
- Adjudication process of every mail-in ballot
- Signature verification
- Voter eligibility, including citizenship
- Election Day bag security seal and chain of custody records
Let’s stop political insiders with questionable conflicts who may be engaging in pay-to-play schemes to manipulate the outcome of our elections in Lynchburg. Millions from political elites like Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan have flooded our area to influence the outcome of our elections.
We have to stop the DC swamp from influencing our local elections. We must get this right before November. Lynchburg election staff cannot even produce real ballot counts almost one week after the election. The future of our city, and our nation, depends on it. Election integrity is critical, and it’s time for Lynchburg to lead the way.
According to the complaint, there are profound discrepancies involving at least 125 absentee ballots that were marked but not counted, as per the latest records from the Virginia Department of Elections.
In his lawsuit, Alexander points to failures in processing and acknowledging absentee ballots and irregularities in ballot drop box procedures, which he claims were left open unlawfully beyond the election day, allowing for potential tampering.
Martin J. Misjuns, a witness for the Alexander campaign and an elected Councilmember At-large, provided a declaration outlining potential discrepancies in the handling of absentee ballots.
According to Misjuns, a detailed tracking of these ballots through a process known as “Ballot Banking” raised questions about whether all votes were properly recorded.
Adding to the controversy, Misjuns highlighted a conversation with Daniel Pense, the General Registrar for Lynchburg, who allegedly could not confirm the final status of the marked ballots.
This lack of clarity, coupled with the discovery that the ballot drop box at the registrar’s office remained open beyond the election date, has fueled Alexander’s call for a thorough review and recount.
“We filed the election contest late Friday afternoon because that was the deadline and there were still unanswered questions about the handling of absentee ballots. We owe it to the voters to make sure those questions are answered, and that is what we are going to do,” Peter Alexander said in a press release.
Read the complaint below:
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