The integrity of the Republican primary in Lynchburg has been called into question following a series of alleged procedural breaches.
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.
According to the Lynchburg City Registrar, the race remains too close to call, with incumbent Chris Faraldi holding a narrow lead of 21 votes over Peter Alexander for the Ward 4 seat.
There are concerns about the Lynchburg Republican primary center on several key issues. Primarily, 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.
BREAKING: Poll watchers in Lynchburg, Virginia have released BOMBSHELL proof of fraud that took place in Tuesday’s election. They were prevented from seeing mail-in ballot processing and records show ballot box seals broken and ballots counted without anyone watching
Election… pic.twitter.com/AN2F9qD9Jj
— George (@BehizyTweets) June 23, 2024
Read the press release from Peter Alexander’s campaign:
In a rare moment, the Peter Alexander campaign aligns with Chris Faraldi’s concerns about irregularities in the June 18th Republican primary for Lynchburg. Alexander and an observer witnessed confusion from electoral board members and staff over the process used to count votes during the canvass on Thursday, June 20th.
Election staff informed us that drop box bags from the precincts were pulled by electoral board member Steve Troxel on Thursday morning after the primary.
Concerns have arisen about the chain-of-custody of these ballots, and there is no documentation recording the number of ballots collected from each Election Day drop box bag in Ward IV. Why weren’t these ballots counted on election night?
On Friday, 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.
Incumbent Ward IV Representative and Vice Mayor of Lynchburg Council, Chris Faraldi, also released their own statement regarding the election fraud allegations.
Read below:
We were made aware that the Lynchburg Registrar’s Office improperly handled ballots in obvious and flagrant violation of state code and election procedures.
Their ballot drop box was left unlocked and open. They miraculously found ballots in that unlocked drop box 3 days after the election, noon Friday, and began processing them. That’s well past Election Day and in violation of state law.
Furthermore, the Lynchburg Registrar and Electoral Board, handpicked by the local party establishment, refused to keep them separate from other ballots.
Mixing these ballots all together is not unlike mixing sand in a bottle — it is impossible to undo.
We’re aware that members of the Electoral Board and election officers have been big financial supporters and advisors to my opponent. Now, we’re fighting to stop them and fix this disastrous situation.
On election day, we fought the party establishment and won. This is just another battle against them. This is just another battle we are going to win.
We are committed to ensuring that every vote is counted fairly, and no undue influence or party establishment impacts the integrity of this election and your votes. I remain confident in a fair outcome on election day and trust that the integrity of our election process will be upheld.
A special thank you to Team McGuire for alerting us to these ‘miracle ballots’ and standing strong for free and fair elections.
Thank you for your continued support.Chris
P.S. Your contributions are greatly appreciated. Our campaign has utilized funds transparently and ethically, and we now need your assistance to ensure the integrity of this election.