DA's Office Investigating Alleged Illegal Activity During 197th District Special Election

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced an investigation into the 197th Legislative District's special election that was held Tuesday, March 21.

The Election Fraud Task Force, staffed by ADAs and detectives, in the DA's office is a asking any Philadelphia resident who has video, photographic, or eyewitness accounts of fraud at the polls should call 215-686-8724 or email the task force at justice@phila.gov.

“After each election, the Election Fraud Task Force reviews all of the calls that come into its hotline and reviews the reports and evidence collected in the field by the specially assigned Detectives and Assistant District Attorneys. We are continuing to review all of our evidence and encourage anyone who has information regarding voter fraud to contact the office,” Kathleen E. Martin, First Assistant District Attorney, said in a statement.

On Election Day, the task force received about 50 calls to its hotline and responded to several dozen allegations of illegal activity at polling places across the 197th, the DA's Office said in a release.

The task force is investigating incidents including the use and placement of candidate write-in stamps, electioneering inside the polling place, illegal voter assistance, and individuals writing on posted sample ballots, according to the DA's Office.

District Attorney R. Seth Williams created the Election Fraud Task Force in back in 2014 to investigate and prosecute allegations of Election Day criminal activity, according to the release.

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