The Elections System of the Virgin Islands (ESVI) was contacted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding a circulating video on social media involving an Elections System employee performing standard duties during the election night vote count on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The FBI received numerous complaints and investigated the matter. The FBI subsequently discussed the case with the US Attorney General’s Office in Washington, D.C., and both agencies confirmed that no fraudulent or criminal activity occurred during the counting of votes.
On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the FBI’s special agent met with several ESVI board members and management to discuss the matter and were informed of the agency’s final decision. The FBI has officially closed the matter.
“The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating election fraud, and we are committed to finding and investigating voter fraud during this election. “The FBI takes all threats of violence seriously. The work of election officials, their staffs, and volunteers is essential to our democracy and any threat to these public servants is completely unacceptable. The FBI remains vigilant in our efforts to detect and assess possible threats and, as always, we encourage the public to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.”
Chairman Raymond J. Williams welcomed the investigation and is pleased to share the results of the investigation with the Virgin Islands community. “This is a testament to the board members, staff, elections officials, and support vendors who work relentlessly to ensure that fair, accessible, secure, and transparent elections are conducted in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We will continue to serve voters with honesty and integrity,” Williams said.
Supervisor of Elections, Caroline F. Fawkes, expressed appreciation to all Virgin Islanders who cast their ballots during the 2022 election cycle and all those who ensured that the voting process from start to finish was transparent including the opportunity for closed circuit video access by the public to witness the voting count process. “The Elections System is already preparing for the 2024 election cycle by building on our strengths and fine-tuning any of our operations, as necessary, to continually maintain the public trust” said Fawkes.
For any question or concern, please contact the Elections offices at 340-773-1021 (St. Croix Elections Office) or 340-774-3107 (St. Thomas Elections Office).