NOTE BETWEEN PRINTED EDITIONS
47-PAGE COMPLAINT AND ATTACHMENTS DETAIL HOW MASSACHUSETTS TOWN CLERKS FAILED TO COMPLY WITH ELECTION LAWS, ALLOWING 34% OF BALLOTS TO BE COUNTED
Candidate details ‘Widespread, systemic, and unlawful irregularities’ in Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich which allowed 34% of votes to be counted, without proper validation
KARI MACRAE FILES ELECTION CONTEST LAWSUITS IN PLYMOUTH AND BARNSTABLE COUNTY TO OVERTURN PRIMARY ELECTION IN WHICH 39 VOTES SEPARATED THE CANDIDATES
STATEMENT OF KARI MACRAE ON HER ELECTION CONTEST LAWSUITS
“Last month, there were widespread, systemic, and unlawful irregularities in the Republican primary for the State Senate nomination in the Plymouth and Barnstable District in which, it was determined after a recount, State Representative Matt Muratore received 39 more votes than I did. There were 14,550 votes cast in the primary. Muratore’s margin was less than one vote per precinct.
“But here’s the problem: At least 5,000 ballots, more than 34% of all votes cast in the primary, were cast by voters using the Commonwealth’s new early mail-in voting program – and almost all of those ballots were accepted as valid ballots by town clerks throughout the district who failed to comply with Massachusetts election law. Simply put, the election administrators failed to complete the legally required signature comparison process for mail-in ballots.
“Because of the widespread, systemic, and unlawful irregularities in the primary election, I am asking the court to declare the election results invalid.
“I am asking the court to do the legally required signature comparison on the mail-in ballots that the Town Clerks failed to do to determine the number of tainted ballots that were improperly added to the properly cast primary ballots.
“If the court’s review of the mail-in ballot material finds at least 40 improperly counted ballots – that’s 0.8% of all the mail-in ballots cast in the primary – I am asking the court to find Representative Muratore ineligible to run as the Republican nominee in the general election and order the Republican Town Committees in the eight towns in the district to select the Republican nominee for State Senate in the Plymouth and Barnstable District, as prescribed by state law, or order a special primary election to determine the Republican nominee.
“Additionally, I am asking the court to suspend the general election for State Senator in the Plymouth and Barnstable District because of the problems with the Republican primary and order a special general election to occur after November 5, 2024.
“This election contest is about more than my desire to serve the Plymouth and Barnstable District people in the State Senate. It’s about the integrity of our democratic process and the integrity of our elections. More and more people are voting by early mail-in ballot. Increased voter participation is a great thing. But those early mail-in ballots must be secure, beyond reproach, and cast in total accordance with Massachusetts election law.
“I made the fateful decision to enter the political arena because I am a fighter. I saw a lot of things that made me very upset about the direction of our Commonwealth and country and my community. Just about every day on the campaign trail, I promised people – the regular folks too often forgotten by the elites in Washington and the career politicians on Beacon Hill – that I would always fight for them.
These election contest lawsuits in Plymouth and Barnstable County are an affirmation of my promise always to fight for my common sense conservative principles and for the people who are counting on me to fight for them.”
“If the court gives me the relief I seek – and the mail-in ballots are appropriately verified – I am convinced I will be the Republican nominee for State Senate and will defeat Representative Dylan Fernandes in the general election.”
LAWSUIT PDF FILE: 47 pages:
MacRae Barnstable Primary Election Filing 10-11-24
Good luck to Kari. She clearly was a victim of voting irregularities in this primary. And where is the MassGOP on this. They have been pushing their candidate of choice, Muratore, all along. You would think they would want an HONEST and FAIR primary election. But, alas, the MassGOP is run by dishonest individuals, who only want their ‘go along to get along’ (RINO’s) candidates of choice to succeed.
This shortcoming in the election process is symptomatic of a general laxity in the system today.
In many MA Clerk’s offices, the job of checking signatures on mail-in ballots has been transferred from the Board of Registrars to the Town Clerk and one paid member of office staff (Assistant Registrar).
The Board of Registrars, which consists of 4 members, two from each major party, is there, by law, to check ballot validity (signatures) and oversee the voting process. They are there to guarantee fairness and integrity.
In the end Registrars are still held legally accountable, as is the Town Clerk, and I see Kari’s case as a wake up call to them to stay active and exercise their authority. If hands are short, they may enlist help. It’s the law. Where’s the problem?