BREAKING NEWS: Two people have been charged with distributing phony sample ballots. One of those charged is Robert Landon, the Republican candidate for Marion City Auditor. The other charged is John Matthews, a Marion Co. Republican official. #vote2019 #ElectionDay2019
— Ben Garbarek (@bengarbarek) November 5, 2019
MARION, Ohio
Investigators are looking into possible election fraud in Marion ahead of the 2019 election. Authorities are investigating whether the Marion County Republican Party broke the law with campaign handouts that are designed to look like sample ballots.
The campaign materials look just like a sample ballot a voter could get from the county board of elections but it has boxes highlighting where the Republican candidates are. Ohio law bans political parties or candidates from handing out sample ballots. Sample ballots are also supposed to be printed on colored paper to distinguish it from real ones. The one in question is on white paper, just like a real ballot. At the bottom of the document, it said, “paid by the Marion County Republican Party.”
