MIDDLESEX COUNTY REPUBLICAN CHAIR REQUESTS COUNTY PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE MALFEASANCE AT MIDDLESEX COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS

Old Bridge – Lucille Panos, Middlesex County Republican Chairwoman, has requested Middlesex County Prosecutor, Andrew Carey, determine whether malfeasance was committed by Daniel Frankel, Commissioner of Registration at the Board of Elections when hiring temporary employees to process Vote by Mail (VBM) ballots on Election Day, November 6, 2018.

The Board of Elections is authorized to hire temporary (referred to as “Seasonal”) employees on Election Day to aid in processing VBM ballots.

Equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans are to be employed to assure the processing is conducted fairly. The County established that these “Seasonal” employees shall be paid $15/hour.

Through personally observing the processing of VBM ballots on Election Day and a subsequent OPRA request, Panos ascertained malfeasance or misfeasance was committed in that:

(1)   Republican workers were obtained and paid $15/hour in compliance with County policy by requesting the Republican Board members solicit the required number of volunteers to work for $15/hour.

(2)   No attempt was made to solicit Democrats to work for $15/hour. Instead, another county official was requested to supply Democrat County employees to work. Since Election Day, November 6, 2018, was a holiday for these employees, they would be reimbursed at 1 ½ times their normal pay rate and subsequently receive a paid day off for working the holiday. Through the OPRA request it was determined all Democrat county employees were reimbursed at hourly rates from a low of $27.88/hour to a high of $86.80/hour in addition to receiving a subsequent paid day off.

This was a clear violation of County policy and a misuse use of public monies.

(3)   County (Democrat) employees were instructed to report an hour before the Republican “Seasonals” providing them with an extra hour of pay. As all processing is to be done with a Democrat and a Republican working together, it is unknown whether these early reporters did nothing for an hour or were doing processing in violation of this policy.

The county employees cost taxpayers $35,139 while the Republican “Seasonals” cost taxpayers only $3,990.

Attached is the correspondence forwarded to Prosecutor Carey including the OPRA request response.  Also attached is the recent email questions and response from the Board of Elections.

Panos noted in the response to her email request that it was indicated action has already been initiated to again use county employees for processing the VBM ballots received in the upcoming June primary election.

Board of Election Reply
Letter to Prosecutor Carey-1 (1)