A former Rensselaer County elections commissioner has pleaded guilty to unlawfully using the names and dates of birth of voters to fraudulently apply for absentee ballots.
Republican Jason Schofield resigned last month after it was reported that he planned to plead guilty to the 12-count indictment. Schofield was arrested in September by the FBI on charges that he illegally used voter information in the 2021 elections. The Justice Department says the 43-year-old admitted that for each absentee ballot application, he falsely certified that he was the voter requesting the ballot.
The Republican-led county legislature had appointed Schofield to a second four-year term earlier in December.
The Justice Department says Schofield faces up to 5 years in prison for each count at sentencing in May.
Schofield’s arrest came as part of a sweeping investigation into ballot fraud in Rensselaer County. Last June, Republican Troy City Councilor Kim Ashe-McPherson resigned after pleading guilty to fraudulently submitting absentee ballots in 2021.
