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Community Corner

Essex Election Tampering

 

I, Pablo Olivera, am one of the independent candidates who ran for US Senate in the October 16, 2013 Special Election, and am also a candidate for the November 5, 2013 State Senate election for district 29.

 

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I am requesting that the State assign monitors at the poll sites for district 29 for the November 5th, 2013, Election. The reason for my request is the fact that, on October 16, 2013, many voters known to me personally described their experience at the polls as follows;

 

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They went to the polls to try to vote for me, and, when they went into the electronic voting booth and pressed the button marked "Pablo Olivera" to cast their ballot,  the light indicating the ballot choice "Pablo Olivera" did not, and would not, turn on (green), no matter how often they pressed the button.  Each one asked for help, and they consistently report that they were then told by election officials present at the polling place that I "was not running on 10/16/2013, but only in the General Election", and that my appearance on the ballot was an "error", but that they "could vote for Booker."

 

The fact that the machines did not work properly, and that poll workers at the different sites told voters who to vote for, is a major violation in the election process.

 

For the past few days I have been wondering what to do about these ADDITIONAL irregularities (I am already part of a challenge petition raised in the US Senate regarding the Special Senate Election that was filed BEFORE the polls opened in that event - (read the petition HERE:) 

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/176336043/United-States-Senate-filing-RE-NJ-SPECIAL-SENATE-ELECTION-CONTES...

 

I called AND sent an e-mail to Mr. Robert Giles of the Division of Elections to complain about the irregularities, and to further complain about the fact that my last name was changed on the November 5, 2013 ballot, and the mailed "sample" ballots, to "OLIVER", rather than "OLIVERA".

 

My name is to be corrected on the face of the machines, but I continue to receive reports daily of voters describing these disturbing incidents at the polls during the 10/16/2013 election, so I AGAIN called Mr. Robert Giles of the Board of Elections in this regard on two occasions - on 10/28/2013 and on 10/29/2013.  On both occasions, I informed the person who answered the phone (the name given to me for the person to whom I spoke was "Carolina" - last name not given) of the reason for my call.  She, "Carolina", reportedly took down the message and promised me that Mr. Giles would return my call as soon as possible.   That has yet to occur.

 

Due to all the comments that I hear from voter after voter in this District, and the previous history of election misconduct in this County, I hereby formally request that State monitors be place at polling sites of the State Senate District 29  election on November 5, 2013 to supervise the election process.

 

Respectfully,

 

Pablo Olivera

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