UPDATE: JUDGE GRANTS RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST BOARD OF ELECTIONS…YOB AND OTHERS ELIGIBLE TO RUN!
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Virgin Islands Board of Elections Chairwoman Lilliana Belardo Accused of Abuse of Power to Help Her Husband and Daughter
Lilliana Belardo, Chairwoman of the St Croix District of the Board of Elections, is being accused by several people of using her authority on the Board of Elections to help her husband and daughter.
Belardo’s husband and daughter are running to be selected as delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. She is being accused of manipulating the Board of Elections to try and throw her husband’s competitors off the ballot and take away their right to vote.
Herb Schoenbom is the former Chairman of the United States Virgin Islands Republican Party, and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the USVIGOP. Mr. Schoenbom stated in legal affidavit that Mrs. Belardo told him that she was “directing” her husband’s competitors to be listed as “inactive”. Mr. Schoenbom stated in affidavit:
One of the people who Mrs. Belardo is targeting is John Yob, a prominent political consultant and the author of a new book about the Republican National Convention.
“It is unfortunate that Lilliana is abusing her power at the Board of Elections to try and help her husband,” said John Yob, one of the people she is trying to stop from being registered to vote. “She should accept the results of the delegate selection process on Thursday and stop embarrassing the Board of Elections and the Virgin Islands.”
“We own a home on St John and our children go to school on St John,” said John Yob. “We meet the residency requirement in statute and hope to spend the rest of our lives here in the Virgin Islands.”
There is no provision in the Virgin Islands statute for a 90-residency requirement prior to being registered to vote. The requirement in statute very clearly states that you need to be registered 90-days before the next election, which is the Primary in August.
This is yet another example of the Board of Elections being accused of wrongdoing.
The Attorney General of the Virgin Islands recently released a statement saying that he would no long represent the Board of Elections in court.
More on this Belardo controversy to come……
