'Translator' fills out ballots for Somali voters in Maine

US Attorney for Maine Andrew Benson told the outlet, “We review all evidence concerning complaints of voter intimidation and election interference, including the video from Lewiston’s early voting at City Hall. We will not tolerate threats to the integrity of our elections, and we look forward to working with the Attorney General’s Office and the Secretary of State’s office to defend our democracy.”

The CCTV footage obtained by the outlet covers early in-person voting in the city, which began on October 13. Voters in the state are allowed under Maine law to request a translator, but there are rules in place regarding their conduct.

Translators can only give assistance if specifically requested, but cannot offer it, and they are not allowed to influence a voter’s choices. They are not allowed to mark up a ballot, and cannot approach a voter already inside a booth.

The Maine Wire reported, “As is evident from the CCTV video, virtually every one of these rules was violated over and over again.” Around 140 hours of CCTV video was obtained, which showed over 200 alleged non-English-speaking Somalis voting with assistance from Somali NGO staffers stationed in City Hall during the early voting period.

Reporter Jon Fetherston said that on October 20, he witnessed translators “talking to people and pointing at the ballots” and that “a couple of people actually touching the ballots.”

Video showed staffers manipulating ballots, with some being seen filling them out in violation of state law.

Janet Beaudoin, a Republican running for House District 94 against Democrat Rep Scott Harriman, said that an interpreter had said he would tell the person he was assisting to vote for Beaudoin if the candidate had been a Democrat.

Among those seen in the CCTV footage are those with ties to Gateway Community Services, a defunct migrant services agency accused of welfare fraud. Safiya Khalid, a former Gateway staffer and director of the Community Organizing Alliance, was seen in the footage orchestrating the movements of translators and voters. Also seen was Ahmed Aska Daher, who worked as a community health worker for Gateway.