Gorinchem files charges of multiple forms of election fraud

Mayor Reinie Meilissant of Gorinchem filed charges on Wednesday regarding multiple forms of election fraud. This includes influence and the soliciting of proxies, she said on Thursday at the start of the second information meeting for the municipal council regarding the investigation into possible voter fraud in the Zuid-Holland municipality.

According to Melissant, rumours about voter solicitation have been circulating for years, but never included names and identification numbers. Now, there are “very concrete signs of election fraud” in three polling stations, she said. She received over ten reports through various channels.

On Tuesday, Gorinchem announced there were suspicions of voter fraud involving proxies and that the police and Public Prosecution Service (OM) are investigating the matter. It is now up to the municipal council to decide whether a rerun is necessary or whether the result, which was formally established by the Central Electoral Office on Thursday morning, will be respected.

In a memo for the municipality, the Electoral Council called a full or partial rerun “a very rare and far-reaching instrument.” The Council currently sees no grounds for a rerun, but it added: “It is up to the municipal council to assess whether there are grounds or facts that justify a consideration regarding a rerun. The Electoral Council has no role in this.”

Two experts in the field of constitutional law and electoral processes also spoke during the public information meeting on Thursday evening. They have not yet given firm advice, but did emphasize the sticking points of a potential rerun, according to a reporter.