The Bucks County District Attorney’s office will not file criminal charges against the person who placed a fake mail in ballot drop box in the Bristol Borough Municipal Building. on Thursday.

In a statement released Friday, Bucks County’s lead prosecutor  Matt Weintraub said the person placing the mock ballot box “…did not intend to commit election fraud by their actions.”

Weintraub called the prank “misguided” and said the person was not acting at the direction of any governmental agency or official to commit election fraud.

On Tuesday afternoon I was contacted by concerned citizens about the existence of a mock ballot drop box that was placed in Bristol Borough Hall, and which had accumulated six apparent absentee votes which were deposited inside of it. That box and those miscast votes have since been confiscated by the Board of Elections (BOE).

Board of Election officials were made aware of the fake ballot box, on Wednesday, said officials.

The mock ballot box was reportedly used as a “dancing box costume,” according to officials.

Bristol Borough Council approved hosting a mail in ballot drop box at the suggestion of Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, who also serves as the Chair of the county election board.

The approved main-in ballot box is scheduled to be placed in the borough municipal building on October 18, according to county officials. That ballot box will have will be located on the first floor of the municipal building, and will have camera on it at all times with a county security employee to watch over it officials said in September.

These concerned citizens were right to contact me as District Attorney, as well as to contact the Board of Elections. While I hope and expect that our upcoming election will be free from fraud, we must all be vigilant to protect the integrity of our elections.  If anyone suspects or has any information regarding fraud in this current election, please contact the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office at 215-348-6344, or on the web at Bucksda.org,  Weintraub said.

The Municipal Election is scheduled for Tuesday November 2

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