RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The State Board Of Elections said Wednesday it is asking Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to investigate a Republican Party contract worker accused of throwing voter registration forms in the trash.
Last week 23-year-old Colin Small was charged in Rockingham County after a witness reported seeing him dump voter registration forms in the trash. Small is facing 13 felony and misdemeanor counts all related to alleged voter fraud.
Small was hired by the Republican Party of Virginia to register Virginia voters. The Republican Party of Virginia released a statement that said Small’s alleged actions are a direct contradiction of both his training and the explicit instructions given to him.
Last week, Virginia Registrar Brandi Lilly said last week they would not ask Cuccinelli to investigate because they did not believe his actions were politically motivated.
However, the Board of Elections voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon on a motion to ask Cuccinelli to investigate possible widespread voter fraud stemming from the Small incident.
Within one hour of the motion, the attorney general responded through his Communications Director, Brian Gottstein. He said his office will perform a thorough investigation.
"Violations of election laws will not be tolerated in the commonwealth. Citizens must feel confident that one of our most precious rights-the right to vote-is protected and that the electoral process is a secure and democratic one."
Additionally, Cuccinelli pointed out that under current state law his office could not open an investigation until the official request came from the State Board of Elections.
Stay with CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for complete coverage of this developing story. Watch CBS 6 News starting at 5 p.m. for the latest on this developing story.
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