Richmond registrar resigns following reports of code violation, misuse of public funds

Richmond registrar Keith Balmer confirmed that he resigned from his position Wednesday, a decision the city’s electoral board accepted in a closed session earlier in the day. His last day will be Dec. 31.

The board met to discuss investigations that revealed multiple violations of city policy and misuse of public funds, The Richmonder reported. The board’s three members unanimously voted to accept his resignation. Balmer told reporters outside his office that Deputy Registrar Jerry Richardson has also resigned. Her last day is this coming Friday, he said.

Investigation finds nearly $500,000 in waste, fraud, and abuse in Richmond Elections Office

While acknowledging the findings of the inspector general report, Balmer said he plans to refute some of it as “inaccuracies.” 

The city’s inspector general had launched a probe into Balmer’s office earlier this year following allegations of nepotism and misuse of money. According to documents obtained by The Mercury through a Freedom of Information Act request, a former employee had shared unverified allegations of management issues, including “hiring family and friends,” along with questionable spending and other concerns within the office. 

??Richmond Inspector General James Osuna’s report, released Nov. 26, verified 25 of 26 allegations against Balmer’s management of the office that included improper use of city-issued purchasing cards, overspending on items, purchasing a handgun so a worker could act as an armed security guard and spending public money on alcohol. 

City officials had suspended Balmer’s purchasing card access this past summer amid the investigation and as a records review by The Richmond Times-Dispatch showed $70,000 in charges during 2023. The inspector general report revealed that roughly $500,000 in public funding has been wasted overall. Balmer pushed back against the findings Wednesday.

“That’s (Osuna’s) report,” he said. “My rebuttal is my report. A lot of what is in the report is absolutely true, but there are things I take issue with and I want the public to know that.”

Balmer plans to make both a rebuttal statement and his resignation letter publicly available, he told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. He added that his rebuttal will have documentation included that should show that “it’s more like administrative mistakes” than criminal actions. 

As for the alcohol use, he said he never drank on the job. He defended the gun purchase as something he felt was necessary following a violent altercation between two employees and concerns over violence against election workers leading up to the 2024 presidential election. 

When asked if there’s anything he would have done differently, Balmer said on day one of becoming registrar he would have made sure that he and his staff had training. He claimed that he was given paperwork to sign but no formal training and he relied on the assumption that more of his staff had been trained as well. 

He said that the next registrar should have deep knowledge of city codes, and be able to pair administrative leadership with their election worker experience. 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with statements from Balmer.