Larry L. Savage Jr., a former Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, was arrested by Indiana State Police for allegedly stealing ballots during a voting machine test. He is now facing serious charges of removing or destroying ballots, which is a felony, as well as misdemeanor theft. Despite the accusations, Savage maintains his innocence and believes that this is a political move against him.
The incident occurred during a public testing event in Madison County where four voting machines were tested with 34 ballots each. After the tabulation, it was discovered that two ballots were missing. These test ballots are identical to official ballots but are marked as “test” on the back. They can still be scanned at a polling station to cast a real vote. Indiana law requires test ballots to be sealed, retained, and disposed of properly after the testing process.
Surveillance footage from the event captured Savage allegedly taking the missing ballots and placing them in his pocket. He was also seen making comments about the missing ballots on social media. Police found the missing ballots in Savage’s car on the same day, but he claimed that an older woman told him they were just sample ballots and not intended to be counted. However, police debunked this claim, stating that the ballots, while not official, were still real.
During his interactions with law enforcement, Savage continued to maintain his innocence, calling the allegations political and claiming that he was being targeted by someone he had filed a police report against. Despite his claims, the evidence against him appears to be strong, with video footage and witness statements implicating him in the theft of ballots.
Savage, who ran as a self-proclaimed “MAGA candidate” in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District Republican primary, received very few votes. The Indiana GOP has come out against any form of criminal election interference and has expressed support for the ongoing investigation into this incident. As the legal process unfolds, Savage will have to face the charges brought against him and defend himself in court.
