Department of Justice closes inquiry into Ulster County Board of Elections

KINGSTON – The U.S. Department of Justice has closed an inquiry into the Ulster County Board of Elections concerning absentee ballots.

Commissioner Ashley Torres said the inquiry stemmed from a judicial subpoena issued in February seeking records related to 573 voters who cast mail ballots during the 2024 election cycle.

“The Ulster County Board of Elections assisted a number of voters in obtaining their absentee ballots during the 2024 cycle,” said Assistant Deputy County Executive Amberly Jane Campbell. “In many cases, bipartisan staff submitted a request for a voter’s ballot to be mailed to the voter’s address based on that voter calling the board of elections, requesting such ballot, and making an attestment. The procedural difference between who completed the website form appears to be what prompted the Department of Justice to launch the investigation.”

County Executive Jen Metzger said the county’s elections “are administered by a truly bipartisan board of elections whose staff work with professionalism, transparency, and great care to ensure every eligible voter can participate and every ballot is handled securely.”

She said, “As the information provided by the county commissioners made clear, our elections are conducted to the highest standard to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the results. Mail-in ballots, the focus of the inquiry, are an essential option for voters who would not otherwise be able to get to the polls to cast their ballots, and I am proud to live in a county and state that prioritizes ballot access and voter participation.”