A former Republican congressional candidate from Indiana has been detained and accused of swiping many election ballots during a recent voting machine test.
On Tuesday, police arrested Larry L. Savage Jr. on charges of destroying or misplacing a ballot and theft.
Savage, 51, was a candidate in the Republican 5th District primary earlier this year. He lost the 2024 primary to incumbent Rep. Victoria Spartz.
Oct. 3 voting machine test
Two electoral ballots went missing during the testing of local voting machines on October 3, prompting an investigation and charges against Savage. Court documents show that a number of residents attended the test, which was a public event.
The state officially monitored and counted the “test” ballots, which featured genuine candidate names and distinct votes. Officials conducted tests and found that one straight Republican ballot and one write-in ballot had disappeared.
A check of security footage revealed that Savage handled the two missing votes. You can also hear him telling an election official that these are “absolutely, totally real ballots.”
Authorities obtained a search warrant for Savage’s car and residence after determining that he was most likely responsible for the missing ballots. Police carried out the search that night and found the ballots in the rear seat of his Honda Civic.
After obtaining an arrest warrant, Savage surrendered on Tuesday, but he denied committing the alleged offenses. They have already released him on a $500 cash bond.
An initial hearing in Savage’s case has not yet been set.