A Kent County Michigan election worker was just arrested.
Chirs Becker who serves as the Kent County Prosecutor has just charged James Holkeboer with falsifying records under election law.
Holkeboer who served as a Gaines Township 8th Precinct poll worker was allegedly seen inserting a USB drive into an electric poll book in a recent statewide primary.
The crime was reportedly committed after the polls closed o August 2nd and now the statewide primary will be hand counted.
REPORT: Kent County Michigan Election Worker Arrested for PUTTING USB DRIVE INTO POLL MACHINE, Charged With Two Felonies..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) September 29, 2022
Michigan’s election officials are tough, professional, and will not tolerate any efforts to interfere with the integrity of our elections. Grateful to @KentCountyClerk Lyons and her team for quickly responding to and addressing this nefarious attempt.https://t.co/ClG1SyPiLK
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) September 29, 2022
The Detriot Free Press had more details to add:
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker announced charges Wednesday after a poll worker was seen inserting a USB drive into an electronic poll book in Gaines Township near Grand Rapids after polls closed in the Aug. 2 statewide primary.
James Holkeboer is charged with falsifying records under election law, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $1,000 fine, and using a computer to commit a crime, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine, Becker announced.
Holkeboer was an election inspector, or poll worker, at the Gaines Township 8th Precinct, where an individual witnessed Holkeboer place a USB drive into the electronic poll book, according to Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons’ office.
Poll books are not connected to vote tabulators and contain voter registration data. This data includes personal and confidential information that election workers use to oversee elections at their precincts.
Posthumus Lyons said the breach did not result in any access to voting machines, ballots or electronic results and had no impact on the election results. In a statement, she said the Kent County Clerk’s Office will conduct a postelection audit of the precinct including a hand-tally of paper ballots. The breached poll book will be replaced.
https://twitter.com/DebbieG68107721/status/1575864646891819009
WWMT chipped in too:
A West Michigan man hired as a local election inspector faces felony charges for allegedly trying to tamper with voting equipment.
James Holkeboer was charged with one count of falsifying election returns/records, a five-year felony and one count of using a computer to commit a crime, a four-year felony, according to the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
Holkeboer was spotted inserting a personal USB drive into a computer used to administer election results the night polls closed on the Aug. 3 primary election at Gaines Township’s 8th prescient polling location at Ada Bible Church.
The incident involved an electronic poll book election workers use to administer the election at their precinct, according to the Kent County Clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons.
The violation occurred after the files in the electronic poll book were saved to the precinct’s authorized, encrypted system device, and that system device was placed in a certified, sealed container, according to Lyons.
James Holkeboer was spotted inserting a personal USB drive into a computer used to administer election results after polls closed the night of the August primary election, investigators said. https://t.co/ttpqXIuQsM
— Mike KrafcikTV (@Mkrafcik) September 30, 2022
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