A United States Postal Service (USPS) mail carrier and a Colorado resident face felony charges in what officials describe as an alleged voter fraud scheme involving stolen mail-in ballots. With the 2024 election on the horizon, officials say these ballots were intercepted, tampered with, and in some cases, submitted fraudulently.
Ballots Reported Missing in Mesa County
In late October, Mesa County, Colorado, received multiple complaints from Grand Valley residents who claimed they hadn’t received their mail-in ballots, yet records showed these ballots had been submitted and subsequently rejected due to signature mismatches. In response, the 21st District Attorney’s Office launched a formal investigation on October 21.
Investigators quickly found that several ballots were missing from neighborhood mailbox clusters, although no evidence of forced entry was present. This led officials to suspect an inside operation. Notably, some complainants lived within a half-mile of each other. Investigators then learned that on October 12, Vicki Lyn Stuart, a 64-year-old USPS mail carrier, had covered the route in the area.
Suspicion Falls on Mail Carrier
On October 24, Stuart reportedly told investigators that she cross-referenced names on mail-in ballots with mailbox names. When they didn’t match, she allegedly marked them as “return to sender.” Stuart estimated marking approximately 20 ballots this way, adding that “there was no chance her DNA would be on the inside of any of the envelopes,” according to an affidavit. Stuart denied any involvement in voter fraud.
The USPS later informed investigators that such cross-referencing is against protocol, emphasizing that mail carriers must deliver ballots regardless of name discrepancies. “They may not know for certain if someone is living at a particular address or not,” an affidavit detailed.
An Unusual Confession Leads to Further Arrests
While the investigation was ongoing, authorities reached out to 59-year-old Sally Jane Maxedon on Election Day. At first, Maxedon allegedly admitted that she “falsely completed voting ballots which did not belong to her,” according to the affidavit. She then described a bizarre scenario involving a male Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent, a truck, and a mall parking lot, even sketching a map for investigators.
Eventually, Maxedon allegedly confessed that she and Stuart were friends and had devised a plan to “test” the signature verification process. Their goal, as noted in the affidavit, was “to determine if the signature verification process would detect if the forged signatures were not those of the known voter signatures on file.” According to Maxedon, Stuart had stolen ballots, handing them over for Maxedon to fill out fraudulently.
Victims Identified and Ballots Processed
So far, authorities have identified at least 16 victims of the alleged scheme, though they believe the total could surpass 20. Of the ballots allegedly submitted by Stuart and Maxedon, at least nine were flagged for suspected fraud, while three made it through and were counted.
“Once signatures are checked, the ballot is pulled independently from the envelope and it’s put into the (counting) process,” Colorado said during a press briefing.
Two Arrests and Multiple Felony Charges
The day after the election, both Maxedon and Stuart were taken into custody. They each face over a dozen felony charges, including forgery, identity theft, and attempting to influence a public servant. The USPS confirmed that Stuart, a USPS employee, has since been placed on “emergency, non-duty status.”
It remains unclear whether the affected residents were ultimately able to cast their votes in the election.
Officials Praise Security Measures Amid Investigation
Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Bobbie Gross commended the investigative efforts, emphasizing the incident as evidence of robust election security. “I am deeply grateful for the diligence and thorough efforts of the District Attorney’s Office in addressing this matter. I am proud our security measures are effective, and we will remain vigilant to safeguard the integrity of our elections,” Gross stated.
Meanwhile, The Colorado Sun highlighted the incident’s limited impact on overall county votes, adding that Stuart is a registered Republican and noting, “Mesa County is a Republican-dominated part of the state” that has “been central to election conspiracies peddled by conservatives in recent years.”
