The NJ Office of the Attorney General issued this press release.

The defendants were charged in multiple indictments in connection with absentee ballots they collected and submitted as workers for Ruiz’s 2007 campaign for the New Jersey Senate. They were charged with tampering with documentation for messenger ballots and fraudulently submitting such ballots as votes in the Nov. 6, 2007 general election. They were charged with fraudulently submitting absentee ballots on behalf of residents who never received the ballots or had an opportunity to cast their votes.

At the time of the election, messenger ballots were only for voters homebound due to illness, infirmity or disability. Such persons can complete an application designating a messenger or bearer who is a family member or a registered voter in the county. The bearer is authorized to obtain an absentee ballot from the county board of elections, take it to the voter, and return a completed ballot to the county board. New rules regarding such ballots have since been adopted.