Mail carrier in West Virginia pleads guilty to attempted election fraud

ELKINS, W.Va. (AP) - A West Virginia postal carrier has pleaded guilty to altering mail-in requests for absentee voter ballots.

Thomas Cooper entered the plea Thursday in federal court in Elkins. Cooper was charged in May after eight mail-in requests for absentee voter ballots had their party affiliations altered.

Cooper held a postal contract to pick up mail in the three towns in which the voters live.

An investigation found five of the ballot requests were changed from Democrat to Republican with a black ink pen.

On the other three requests, the voters’ party was not changed but the word Republican was later circled in black ink.

For the previous story about this case click here.

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