Missing Princeton Ballots Found, But Officials Seek Answers

PRINCETON, NJ — The missing ballots from three Princeton districts were located on Thursday afternoon, according to officials.

Mayor Mark Freda told Patch that the ballots were found in the voting machines and are being tallied as of Friday.

Ballots went missing in two Mercer County communities - Princeton and Robbinsville. This came after the scanners in the voting machines failed to work on Election Day, resulting in the County moving to manual balloting.

Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried told residents that County officials informed him Wednesday evening that ballots from one district had gone missing. More: Ballots Go Missing In Mercer County, Officials Go To Court

“The fundamentals of Democracy is that every vote would be counted. Clearly, this has yet to happen in Robbinsville, as approximately 11% of our residents' votes have yet to be safely delivered and tallied,” Fried said.

The Mayor called the incident in his township an “unconscionable mishap,” and said he was working with County and election officials to trace the missing ballots.

On Thursday afternoon Robbinsville officials informed the community that all missing ballots from District 5 were reportedly located. However, officials said they did not receive confirmation from Mercer County or the Board of Elections.

Mercer County election officials went to court on Thursday for permission to open storage compartments of voting machines to determine if any ballots were left behind.

Superior Court Judge William Anklowitz approved the request.

Meanwhile, the issue with the voting machines is now a criminal investigation, Sollami-Covello told Patch. More: Voting Machine Issues Reported In Mercer Co. On Election Day: Clerk

“I reported this to the Prosecutor to investigate as to whether this scanning problem occurred based on an error or whether something was intentionally done to create chaos and distrust in the election system,” Sollami-Covello said. “We are not suspicious of any specific wrongdoing, but we do need to investigate the matter fully.”

“At the end of the day, as County Clerk, I must certify the election results so I do have an interest in the integrity of our system,” Sollami-Covello said.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com