Richmond inspector general investigates city’s elections office • Virginia Mercury

The Richmond Electoral Board met in closed session Wednesday with the city’s inspector general after allegations of nepotism and financial improprieties at the elections office led by Chancellor Keith Balmer.

Inspector General James Osuna and members of the election board declined to comment as they emerged from the closed session, saying an investigation launched by the inspector general’s office was ongoing.

A document obtained by The Virginia Mercury through a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this year offers clues to what Osuna is investigating.

Last fall, an investigator in Osuna’s office contacted the state Department of Elections and requested assistance in investigating various complaints received from a former employee of Balmer. Investigator Michael Chodorov told state officials that he had not verified the accuracy of the information, but he raised allegations about “management’s hiring of family and friends,” questionable spending and other problems at the Richmond election office.

City authorities seemed to believe that the state elections board should look into the matter since it oversees the work of registrars. In response, state officials said the complaint was a local issue because none of the allegations had a direct connection to electoral politics or voting.

It is unclear whether the information in the former employee’s complaint has been verified or refuted, but both state and local officials have been made aware of it.

“Serious allegations have been made,” Electoral Commission Chairman John Ambrose said Wednesday when asked about the extent of his concern based on what he had heard. “And they are being seriously investigated.”

Balmer declined to comment.

In a sign that problems are escalating in Richmond, officials confirmed Wednesday that City Hall has taken steps to block Balmer’s office from issuing purchasing cards. The office is not a city department under the control of Mayor Levar Stoney, but still uses local resources.

Some allegations of nepotism at the Richmond elections office have already been made public. At the beginning of this year the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Balmer had given his brother a job and paid his wife’s company $2,300 for training on how poll workers can accommodate voters with disabilities.

In a public back-and-forth among board members before Wednesday’s closed meeting, election board member Starlet Stevens said the topic of private discussion was “where the money is spent.”

“It’s going to happen whether you like it or not, John, and you’re not going to silence me,” Stevens told Ambrose.

Ambrose retorted, “Those comments have put you out of commission.”

Stevens, a Republican, presided over Wednesday’s meeting as board chairman. But Ambrose, a Republican, and board member Joyce Smith, a Democrat, voted before the closed session to oust her from that position and make Ambrose the board’s new chairman. They did not say the exact reason for that decision, but shortly after that move, Ambrose and Smith voted to reinstate a poll worker who had been removed from office after a physical altercation with Stevens.

During the meeting, Stevens and the reinstated elections director briefly argued over who instigated the confrontation. There was no clear resolution to the matter other than demoting Stevens from the chair and reinstating the returning officer.

It’s unclear where signs of trouble at the Richmond election office might lead, but the inspector general’s ongoing investigation comes in a high-pressure presidential year when election officials can least afford distraction and disruption.

In Virginia, city and county election offices are overseen by three-member election boards that operate independently of other local leaders but have the authority to hire and fire registrars. These unelected board members are appointed by local political parties and confirmed by judges. The party that won the last gubernatorial election automatically gains majority control of all electoral colleges in the state.

Balmer took over the Richmond elections office from former registrar Kirk Showalter, who was removed in 2021 partly at the urging of the Virginia Democratic Party. The Richmond Electoral Board is now under Republican control due to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 election victory, but that power shift did not affect Balmer’s job.

Previous dysfunction in local election offices has led to calls for state leaders to reform the system to ensure greater professionalism and stability and protect registrars from political infighting and feuds with partisan board members.

City officials also disciplined Balmer on multiple occasions for apparent procurement policy violations in which his office signed contracts without proper authorization under city government spending rules, according to documents obtained through a city records request.

The most recent election-related contract to raise eyebrows at City Hall was an agreement signed in January with a security firm that provided “personal protective services” for Balmer at an hourly rate of $85 per guard.

The contract requires a minimum of 45 hours of work per week, resulting in a weekly cost of at least $3,825. The 40-week agreement is scheduled to run from early February to November 5, the day of the presidential election, suggesting the cost could exceed $150,000.

Election workers across the country faced threats after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen. This atmosphere has led to tightened security measures.

The new Richmond election office security contract, signed with local firm HPi Unified, also provided six security training courses for staff at a cost of $26,400.