By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former Republican congressional candidate was charged with stealing ballots during a test of a voting system in Madison County, Indiana, state police said on Tuesday.
During the test on Oct. 3, which involved four voting machines and 136 candidate ballots marked for testing, officials discovered that two ballots were missing, according to the Indiana State Police.
Voter fraud is rare in the United States, and courts dismissed multiple lawsuits of alleged electoral fraud brought by former President Donald Trump and some of his Republican allies who accused Democrats of stealing the 2020 election.Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in a Nov. 5 presidential election.
For four years, Trump has maintained his false claim, supported by a majority of Republicans in Congress, that the 2020 election was stolen. As a result, some states and counties have stepped up precautions.
Surveillance video showed Larry Savage, 51, a precinct committeeman, folding and placing both ballots in his pocket after receiving instructions about the validity of the test ballots, the police said.
A search warrant was issued and Savage's residence was subsequently searched, police said, adding that officers found the missing ballots in his vehicle.
"We unequivocally condemn any form of criminal election interference. We appreciate law enforcement’s efforts in pursuing justice and we will continue to monitor this situation as the process unfolds," Griffin Reid, the communications director for Indiana's Republican Party, said in a statement.
Savage faces charges of destroying or misplacing a ballot, and theft, according to online records. No defense lawyer is listed for him, and he was released on bond.
Before turning himself in on Tuesday morning, Savage said he was innocent and described the charges as "bumped up."
Savage unsuccessfully ran to be the Republican candidate for Indiana's Fifth Congressional District. He secured less than 2% of the vote in his party's primary.
Victoria Spartz, who currently represents the district, won the race and will face Democratic congressional candidate Deborah Pickett in the election.