Indiana State Police denounced allegations of wrongdoing by the Patriot Majority in a press release on Saturday.
The Indiana Voter Registration Project is a subsidiary operation of the Patriot Majority, a nonprofit organization focused on economic empowerment. In late August, instances of voter registration fraud in Hendricks and Marion counties prompted ISP to investigate the IVRP. Since then, 56 more counties were added to the investigation, including Monroe County, and a search warrant was delivered to the IVRP’s downtown Indianapolis office Oct. 4.
The Patriot Majority sent a press release Oct. 3 that detailed specific complaints the nonprofit filed against an Indiana State Trooper.
In a letter to the United States Office of Special Counsel, Patriot Majority president Craig Varoga wrote, “I am writing to lodge a complaint against William Stoney Vann, an Indiana State Trooper, in connection with influence that Mr. Vann is asserting in an attempt to prevent certain Indiana voters from registering to vote. Specifically, I am deeply concerned that Mr. Vann is violating the federal Hatch Act by using his authority as an Indiana State Trooper to influence his own election to the office of sheriff of Johnson County, Indiana, by deliberately obstructing Indiana Voter Registration Project’s voter registration efforts.”
Additionally, a spokeswoman for the IVRP said the search warrant the ISP served Oct. 4 was part of a “series of intimidation tactics” coordinated by the ISP and the Indiana Secretary of State’s office.
ISP said in a release all allegations from the Patriot Majority are false.
“Every allegation by Patriot Majority USA against the Indiana State Police is completely false. In fact, it is clear from evidence documented to date that we have uncovered intentional acts of fraud by representatives of Patriot Majority USA,” said Capt. David Bursten, Chief Public Information Office for the Indiana State Police.
Bursten said that motives behind voter registration fraud remain unclear.
Voter registration fraud includes false names, addresses and dates of birth on registration forms or a combination of both false and correct information on the same form. ISP said in the release the expanded number of counties under investigation means that thousands of voters could find themselves disenfranchised on Election Day.
To report voter registration fraud, contact the 24-hour ISP Voter Reigstration Application Fraud tip line at 888-603-3147, or the Monroe County Voter Registration Office at 812-349-2690.
Lyndsay Jones
