U.S. Senator Susan Collins sharply criticized on Monday morning the handling of ballots found improperly delivered to a residence in Newburgh, calling for an independent investigation and raising serious questions about election integrity in Maine.
“It’s alarming that these ballots just showed up,” Collins told the Maine Wire. “How did they get there, who sent them, what in the world are ballots being delivered to a house in Newburgh and are there more out there?”
The senator’s comments preceded Secretary of State Shenna Bellows hastily calling a news conference in Augusta that afternoon.
Highlighting the urgency of the matter, Collins continued: “We need independent law enforcement to take a look into this. I think the FBI should be involved, ballot security is extremely important.”
She further questioned the role of state officials in managing the inquiry. “There should never be absentee ballots floating around out there, what in the world?” she said. “The Secretary of State should step aside. We need an independent investigation. We need to find out how this happened.”
US Senator Collins Says Maine Secretary of State Bellows ‘Should Step Aside’
American Buddhist Net 