Elderly voters may have been intimidated into voting for a candidate.

BIDDEFORD (AP) – Police have begun investigating allegations that elderly voters were pressured into casting absentee ballots for a Green Independent candidate in Maine’s special election.

Chief Roger Beaupre said Thursday his department has received 10 complaints of voter intimidation from elderly voters who were told votes for candidates other than Green Independent candidate Dorothy Lafortune did not count.

The report comes one day after state officials decided to open a separate probe into who sent a phony mailing before the last month’s election to fill a seat in the Maine House of Representatives.

Before the election, voters received a postcard claiming that Democratic nominee Stephen Beaudette had the endorsement of an apparently fictitious group called the Coalition for Homosexual Marriage in Maine.

The mailing read, “Support Homosexuals by Voting Democrat in Biddeford February 3rd!” and “We Deserve a Wedding!”

City Clerk Clairma Matherne said residents’ stories were credible and consistent. “They just described that they were pressured to vote for a certain candidate,” she said. “I feel bad for these older people.”

Beaudette won the three-way race for the seat vacated by state Rep. Marie Laverriere-Boucher, taking 62 percent of the vote.

Beaupre plans to turn over the investigation’s findings to the Maine attorney’s general office. Prosecutors will then determine whether laws were broken and whether to file charges.

“There’s nothing to discredit the complaint so far,” Beaupre said. “Obviously if there are others out there who feel they were unfairly influenced with the absentee ballots, they need to contact us.”

Ben Chipman, a volunteer on Lafortune’s campaign, said Wednesday that he is confident the complaints are unfounded.

“All of the campaign volunteers were explained how the process works and how to conduct this,” he said. “We have no reason to believe that they didn’t follow that.”

Chipman said he believes voters came forward after Democrats contacted them, on or before election day, and asked if they’d felt pressured.

He said voters may have been confused about the rules for soliciting absentee votes.

Copy the Story Link