Election interference complaint filed against incumbent in Providence legislative primary • Rhode Island Current

Dirt is flying in the three-candidate Democratic primary for Providence's 9th Congressional District, and a series of new allegations are being made against the incumbent.

Santos Javier, who is challenging Rep. Enrique Sanchez for the seat, accused the incumbent of “vote theft” and “misconduct,” including threatening voters and tampering with mail-in ballots. Javier filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Board of Elections over those allegations, he said in a statement Tuesday.

Chris Hunter, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Board of Elections, declined to comment when asked if the complaint had been received or if an investigation had been launched.

The allegations fuel a already fiery primary, All three candidates – Sanchez, Javier and former seatholder Anastacia Williams – voiced a mixed bag of criticism, ranging from personal attacks to alleged ethics violations and accusations of election interference.

So many allegations in the Democratic primary in Providence House, so little time to investigate

The new lawsuit accuses Sanchez and one of his campaign aides of vote fraud and otherwise tampering with mail-in ballots, as well as discouraging voters from voting or influencing their voting decisions by sending a letter to voters in the precinct accusing Javier's campaign of voter tampering.

He told the Rhode Island Current on Wednesday that voters who accused the Sanchez campaign of mail-in ballot tampering or fearmongering had filed separate complaints with local police departments. Providence police did not immediately respond to requests Wednesday confirming the complaint had been filed.

“These allegations are deeply disturbing and, if true, represent a serious breach of the democratic process,” Javier said.

Michael Garman, Sanchez's campaign manager, dismissed Javier's allegations in a social media statement as “false and completely unfounded.”

““Our campaign has been extremely careful to present only the facts and not to make allegations that we cannot fully substantiate,” Garman said in a post on X on August 27. “It is deeply regrettable that Mr. Javier has not chosen to adhere to the same standard.”

Sanchez filed his own complaint with the state Board of Elections on August 21, accusing Javier's campaign of changing the phone numbers on voters' absentee ballot applications. The Sanchez campaign also asked the state Ethics Commission to investigate his two opponents for alleged omissions in their annual financial reports; the Rhode Island Ethics Commission opened a dual investigation on August 20.

Meanwhile, Williams, who held the seat for 30 years before being ousted by Sanchez in the 2022 primary, has filed her own complaints with Providence police and the Board of Elections, alleging that her two opponents were involved in tampering with mail-in ballots and stealing campaign signs.

Lindsay Lague, a spokeswoman for Providence Police, confirmed Monday that the investigation into Williams' complaint was ongoing but declined to comment further.

The state election board has scheduled a closed meeting for Thursday to “discuss and/or vote on an investigation if necessary,” according to an agenda filed Tuesday. The agenda does not provide details about which race or investigation the panel will discuss.

The flood of allegations and ongoing investigations comes amid early voting for the primary election, which began on August 21.

In Providence, which includes the 9th electoral district, 854 voters had submitted their mail-in ballots to the election commission by Tuesday, while another 120 voters had already cast their votes in person, the Rhode Island Department of State said. Online data tracker.

By August 20, the Providence Board of Canvassers received 585 absentee ballot applications were submitted by voters in the district, 58 of which were rejected due to “various inaccuracies,” according to Josh Estrella, a city spokesman.

The primary is on Tuesday, September 10th.