A number of election boards in Rhode Island reported irregularities with signatures on primary ballot petitions for the “No Labels” Party and for Republican dilettante Vivek Ramaswamy, noting an unusually high number of dead voters and fictional people signing their petitions, the Providence Journal reports.
The Boards of Canvassers for Coventry and Warwick noted an “unusually high number of invalidated signatures and instances of deceased voters submitted on behalf of presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy,” according to a State Board of Elections spokesman. Officials in Cranston and Jamestown raised similar questions about the “No Labels” Party application, which does not specify a candidate.
A review of Ramaswamy’s petition by the Journal found signatures from people who live in Missouri, Oklahoma, Wisconsin as well as at least one person from Ohio who was deceased. Vivek’s campaign said they relied on a third-party contractor to obtain the signatures. The state will give the campaigns until January 25th to remedy any issues, but if enough signatures are disqualified, they risk losing their place on the ballot.