KINGSTON, N.Y. — The Ulster County Board of Elections announced that the U.S. Department of Justice has closed its inquiry into the board and is no longer pursuing an investigation related to the matter.
According to the board, Commissioner Ashley Torres and former Commissioner John Quigley were notified on June 4 that the Justice Department had concluded its inquiry. Torres and Quigley were represented on a pro bono basis by the Washington Litigation Group.
The inquiry stemmed from a judicial subpoena issued in February seeking records related to 573 voters who cast mail ballots during the 2024 election cycle. Earlier this year, Ulster County officials said federal investigators were seeking records tied to voters who requested absentee ballots through New York’s online ballot request system.
In response to the subpoena, the Board of Elections said it provided federal investigators with information describing bipartisan assistance provided by board staff to voters using the New York State Online Ballot Request Portal. The board also said it submitted documentation showing ballots were issued to eligible voters and that returned ballots contained the required original voter signatures.
After reviewing the information provided through the board’s legal counsel, the Justice Department concluded its inquiry, according to the announcement.
“Ulster County’s elections are administered by a truly bipartisan Board of Elections whose staff work with professionalism, transparency, and great care to ensure every eligible voter can participate and every ballot is handled securely,” Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger said in a statement.
Metzger said the information provided by the commissioners demonstrated that county elections are conducted “to the highest standard to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the results.” She also said mail-in ballots are an important option for voters who cannot vote in person and added that “the empirical record nationwide is clear: voter fraud is extremely rare.”
“The bipartisan staff of the Ulster County Board of Elections work diligently every day to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate in our elections while maintaining the integrity and security of the electoral process,” Torres said in a statement. “We are pleased that this matter has been resolved and remain committed to serving every voter, regardless of political affiliation, with professionalism, transparency, and fairness.”
The board also thanked the Washington Litigation Group, a nonprofit law firm that provides legal representation to election officials nationwide who are the subject of federal inquiries.
Image: A voter completes their ballot at a voting site, in New York, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)