Cumberland County officials are investigating an incident of potential voter fraud involving two people posing as employees of the county Clerkâs Office.
County Clerk Gloria Noto said the two people approached a resident on Schooner Drive in Millville on Tuesday, said they worked for her office and asked the resident why he had not yet returned his absentee ballot.
Noto said not only do the two people not work for her office but that her staff does not perform that kind of duty.
âThe role of the County Clerkâs Office is to process applications and provide ballots to interested and qualified voters,â she said. âNo one from the Cumberland County Clerkâs Office will ever visit or call your home requesting information about your ballot.â
Noto said that while her office only knows about this one incident, she believes that the two people might have approached other county residents about the status of their absentee ballots.
âIf two people are out there doing this, I donât think they just approached one person,â she said.
Noto said she has notified the state Attorney Generalâs Office and police departments in Bridgeton, Millville and Vineland about Tuesdayâs incident.
âWhen they mentioned me and my office, they crossed the line,â Noto said.
The incident raises a further concern that the action of the two people might be a way for them to scout out homes for potential burglaries, Noto said. She said many senior citizens might be targets of such activity.
Noto said that, under New Jersey election law, the Clerkâs Office must provide a list of voters who requested vote-by-mail ballots to anyone seeking the information. That is a frequent request around election time, she said.
Noto said her office does not issue an absentee ballot until it first gets a completed application. Staff then checks the applicantâs name, address, birth date and signature against records on file with the county, she said.
Noto said Cumberland County residents can call the Clerkâs Office at 856-453-4862 to report incidents similar to the one that occurred on Tuesday.
Contact Thomas Barlas:
609-226-9197
