Former Republican Candidate Accused Of Stealing Ballots During Voting Machine Test

A former Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives was taken into custody Tuesday by Indiana State Police on suspicion of stealing several ballots during a test of voting machines earlier this month.
Larry L. Savage Jr., 51, is now facing charges of removal or destruction of ballots ― a felony ― and misdemeanor theft, according to court records reviewed by HuffPost. Court records did not show an attorney representing him, and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Savage shared a video on Facebook on Tuesday showing him turning himself in to authorities, and he maintained his innocence, saying, “I guess this is what they do to political opponents.”
“The truth’s gonna come out,” Savage said in the video.
The charges stemmed from an Oct. 3 public testing event in Madison County where four voting machines were tested with 34 ballots each, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by HuffPost. Once the tabulation was complete, it was revealed two of the ballots were missing.
Test ballots are identical to official ballots, but say “test” on the back. They can, however, still be put through a scanner at a polling station to cast a real vote. According to Indiana law, test ballots must be sealed, retained and disposed of following a test of voting machines.
According to the affidavit, the ballots found in Savage’s possession read, “ITS A CRIME TO FALSIFY THIS BALLOT OR TO VIOLATE INDIANA ELECTION LAWS.”
Surveillance footage captured a woman overseeing the testing event reminding attendees, “They are live election ballots.”
Savage was also shown in the video, allegedly folding the missing ballots from the machine and placing them in his pocket, according to the affidavit.
Police who reviewed the footage noted in the affidavit that moments after taking the ballots, Savage could be heard whispering to Katherine Callahan, a former Republican Madison County auditor candidate, and stating, “Fucked up count.” He also allegedly commented on Callahan’s Facebook Live post of the test stating, “3 ballots short!!! lol” and “Dontvtake anything.”
Savage allegedly texted Callahan later that day, stating, “I had 3, how can they be one short?”
Police said they found the missing ballots in Savage’s car that same day, but when confronted, Savage allegedly said he spoke to an older woman who told him they were just sample ballots and were not intended to be counted.
“This is all political bullshit is all it is,” Savage said after an officer informed him that the surveillance video did not show him asking an older woman for permission to take the ballot, according to the affidavit.
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Savage called the arrest political bullshit once again after an officer executed a search warrant for his phone, according to the affidavit. Savage allegedly said the allegations were an attempt by a man to “fuck with” him because he had filed a police report against him.
During his conversation with police, Savage continued to say a woman told him at the test event that the ballots were not real, to which the officer continued to explain that even though the ballots were not the ones that would be used on Election Day, they were indeed real, the affidavit said.
Savage, a self-proclaimed “MAGA candidate,” ran in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District Republican primary in May, but only obtained 1.9% of the total votes, the Indianapolis Star reported.
In a statement to HuffPost on Tuesday, Griffin Reid, a spokesperson for the Indiana GOP, said his party “unequivocally condemn any form of criminal election interference.”
“We appreciate law enforcement’s efforts in pursuing justice, and we will continue to monitor this situation as the process unfolds,” Reid said.