Was Dr. Diane Trautman (left) trying to tell us something with her abruptly stepping down as Harris County Clerk? And, as for Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins (left) he either has a golden-egg in his pocket, or he’s got something up his sleeves if you ask me. But whatever the case, allowing him to send out 2 million “UNSOLICITED ABSENTEE BALLOT APPLICATIONS” would be a huge mistake, and would be disastrous. Why? First off, the potential for fraud to occur is too great. Secondly, with the early voting period extended by a week, and Toyota Center added as an “EARLY VOTING” and “ELECTION DAY VOTING” location, registered Harris County voters have more than enough places where they can cast a secure ballot without fear of being infected with the CORONAVIRUS while exercising their right to vote. After all, the Democratic and Republican primary runoff elections just took place back on July 14th and we didn’t hear of any mass CORONAVIRUS breakouts as a result of voters being infected at polling places. To his credit, Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins did a pretty good job with putting safeguards in place to ensure the publics’ safety was a top priority. Now, how in the heck the Democratic Party’s “ABSENTEE BALLOT RETURNS” went from 22,785 back in March to 45,176 in the July runoff’s is something else altogether. Especially, when President Barack Obama only received 24,503, absentee ballot votes back during the historic 2008 Presidential Election in Harris County, Texas. It kind of makes you wonder why Dr. Diane Trautman was forced out (I mean resigned) in the first place.
A 3-Week Timeline of Events Leading Up to Dr. Diane Trautman’s Resignation Due to Supposed Health Reasons Related to COVID-19 Concerns
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
Back on 4/15/2020: Colleen M. Vera filed a complaint with the Secretary of State regarding "ABSENTEE BALLOT HARVESTING" in Harris County, Texas. You can learn more about what was included in Colleen M. Vera's report by clicking this link and visiting the "TEXAS TRASH TALK" website. In case you don't know, some of the evidence that was submitted inside Colleen M. Vera's 2-year investigation included a direct tie between Diane Trautman and at least one "DEMOCRATIC OPERATIVE" alleged to have been involved in the harvesting of absentee mail-ballots.
Back on 4/22/20: Colleen M. Vera went live with her evidence via the "TEXAS TRASH TALK" website which included evidence about Diane Trautman, the Harris County Clerk included. You can click here to learn more about the alleged "ABSENTEE BALLOT HARVESTING" scheme.
Back on 4/28/20: Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis (and his cohorts) approved $12 million for Diane Trautman to expand the "ABSENTEE BALLOT" or what many call the "MAIL BALLOT" voting for the Tuesday, July 14, 2020, Primary Runoff Elections, and the upcoming Tuesday, November 3, 2020, General Election as well. Please note, that there was money earmarked inside the budget for Diane Trautman to send "MAIL BALLOT APPLICATIONS" to every 65+ voter inside Harris County, Texas -- whether they wanted one or not.
Back on 5/1/20: Ken Paxton, the Attorney General for the State of Texas sent a letter to all Texas county judges and election authorities warning them not to mislead voters by using the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic fears as a "DISABILITY" to vote by mail. In case you don't know, the press release sent out by Attorney General Ken Paxton called out Diane Trautman and Judge Lina Hidalgo specifically for crossing the line. He also stated that criminal charges could result.
So, from 5/4/20 to 5/7/2020: Dr. Diane Trautman (according to sources) spent a lot of time trying to get "GUIDANCE" from the Texas Secretary of State on how to carry out the "MASS MAILING" of "MAIL BALLOT APPLICATIONS" without crossing the line laid down by Attorney General Ken Paxton. According to published reports, the Secretary of State Ruth R. Hughs did not respond to Diane Trautman's requests.
Back on 5/7/20: The Texas Secretary of State notified Colleen M. Vera that sufficient merit had been found as it related to her 2-year investigation into "ABSENTEE BALLOT HARVESTING COMPLAINT" and that it had been forwarded to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton with a recommendation to investigate the allegations. To learn more about Colleen M. Vera's allegations, you can click this link to view the "TEXAS TRASH TALK" website.
Back on 5/7/20: After not receiving a response from the Secretary of State, Diane Trautman reported in a "ZOOM MEETING" that she "WOULD NOT" be mailing "ABSENTEE BALLOTS APPLICATIONS" to every 65+ voter in Harris County, Texas. According to my sources, Harris County, Democratic Party representatives questioned why the "MAIL BALLOTS" would not be mailed out -- to which Diane Trautman said that she would not do it in the current environment.
Back on 5/9/2020: According to many of my sources, the Harris County Democratic Party fought Diane Trautman tooth and nail as it relates to getting more "ABSENTEE BALLOTS" out to voters in Harris County, Texas -- shortly thereafter she abruptly resigned.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
How Did Mail-Ballots Jump from 22,785 in Democratic Primary to 45,176 in Democratic Runoff with Fewer Races?
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
Before any of you jump to the conclusion that I am out there trying to do the bidding of any particular party you had better think again. My number one priority is to try to get a fair shot for my clients. To this end, "NO" candidate should want to win an election under a cloud of suspicion. That’s kind of like winning the gold medal at the Olympic games, but have everyone whispering you cheated – used performance-enhancing drugs to gain an unfair advantage. And speaking of unfair advantages – that’s exactly what many Republicans feel that Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins is trying to get for Democrats who will appear on the November 3, 2020, general election ballot in Harris County, Texas. And when you look at how the Democrats drastically increased their “MAIL-BALLOT” production from Tuesday, March 3, 2020 – when the Democratic Party primaries took place, to Tuesday, July 14, 2020 – when the Democratic Party runoffs took place, you have to admit that Democrats either has a serious mojo working in Harris County, Texas – or something a little strange is going on.
How Did Mail Ballots Increase so Drastically with Fewer Races on the July 14th Democratic Runoff Election Ballot?
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
Let’s be honest here! When you see a track and field athlete go from consistently running in the 11.5-second range in the 100-meter dash to running 10.2 seconds in one track season – it’s human nature that people would want to know what’s going on – right? Well, using this analogy, it makes a lot of sense why Republicans and some other folks are beginning to look sideways at Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins and what he’s trying to do with these blasted “MAIL-BALLOT APPLICATIONS” in the run-up to the Tuesday, November 3, 2020, general election. What is the concern? Well, get this, back on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in the Democratic Party primary, there were (81) eighty-one “CONTESTED RACES” on the Democratic Party primary ballot in Harris County, Texas. There were 38,667, mail-ballots sent out to Democratic voters by the Harris County Clerk’s Office. Of the 38,667, mail-ballots that were sent out by the Harris County Clerk’s Office, only 22,785 of the mail-ballots were returned. Comparatively speaking, there were (50) fifty “CONTESTED RACES” on the Republican Party primary ballot in Harris County, Texas. The Harris County Clerk sent out 31,162, mail-ballots to Republican Party primary voters. Of the 31,162, mail-ballots that were sent out, 22,801, mail-ballots were returned. So, in essence, with far fewer contested primary races, the Republican Party's primary “MAIL-BALLOT RETURN” was better than the Democratic Party's primary “MAIL BALLOT RETURN” by 16 mail-ballots. Yes, you heard me right, there was only a difference of 16 mail-ballots between the HCDP primary voters and the HCRP primary voters at the end of the “EARLY VOTING PERIOD” back on Friday, February 28, 2020, in Harris County, Texas. But you must remember, this was before Dr. Diane Trautman stepped down – and before the COVID-19 pandemic had caused much loss of life in Texas and throughout the world. However, do not miss the fact that the Democrats had a contested race for President of the United States on their ballot – but the Republicans still got the better of them in the “MAIL-BALLOT” category, back during the primaries.
Democrats Put Up Some Historic Absentee Mail-Ballot Return Numbers Under the Direction of Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins has some serious mojo working – right? I mean, he’s a bad man. Get this, the Harris County Democratic “MAIL-BALLOT RETURNS” was only 22,785, back in the Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Democratic Party primaries with (81) eighty-one races on their ballot – including a highly contested Democratic Party primary “PRESIDENTIAL RACE” between Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Michael Bloomberg, and others. But again, don’t forget that Dr. Diane Trautman was the Harris County Clerk back during the Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Democratic Party primaries – she hadn’t stepped down yet. So, that brings us back Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins. Under the direction of Hollins, within the span of a few months, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, Democratic “MAIL-BALLOT RETURNS” went from 22,785 (in their Primary) to a record-breaking 45,176 mail-ballot output in the Tuesday, July 14, 2020, Democratic Party primary runoff election – that’s an increase of 22,391 mail-ballots. But that’s not the most astonishing thing about what’s happened under Chris Hollins’ tenure as the appointed Harris County Clerk. Get this, there were only (14) fourteen contested races on the July 14, 2020, Democratic Party primary runoff ballot. Are you listening to me? If not, let me make this a little clearer for you. Back in the 2020 Democratic Party Primary, there were (81) eighty-one contested races on the ballot, and the number of “MAIL-BALLOTS” cast in the Democratic Party Primary in Harris County, Texas was 22,785 – with Dr. Diane Trautman as the Harris County Clerk. However, Dr. Diane Trautman, for whatever reason steps down – and here comes, Chris Hollins who had previously served as the “VICE CHAIR OF FINANCE FOR THE TEXAS DEMOCRATIC PARTY, before being appointed as the Harris County Clerk by Commissioner Rodney Ellis and others. Once, Chris Hollins becomes the Harris County Clerk, with only (14) fourteen contested races in a runoff election, a record number of “MAIL-BALLOTS” are recorded. How big was the increase? Well, under Hollins, in the span of a few months, the “MAIL-BALLOT RETURNS” went from 27,785 in the Democratic Party primary, to a record-breaking 45,176 with (31) thirty-one. Yes, you heard me right! With (31) thirty-one fewer contested races, the Democratic “MAIL-BALLOT RETURNS” increased by 22,391 from the Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Democratic Party primary to the Tuesday, July 14, 2020, Democratic Party runoff election. Also, you have to keep in mind that, only 38,667 mail-ballots were sent out by Dr. Diane Trautman’s administration for the Democratic Party primary. Comparatively speaking, 86,331 mail-ballots were sent out by Chris Hollins’ administration for the Democratic Party's primary runoff election.
How Astonishing Has Chris Hollins Been Since Being Appointed as the Harris County Clerk by Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Others?
AUBREY R. TAYLOR REPORTS©
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, since being appointed as the Harris County Clerk by Commissioner Rodney Ellis and his fellow cohorts, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, and Commissioner Adrian Garcia has done an almost unbelievable job. Get this, back during the historic 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama only received 24,503 absentee ballot votes out of all of Harris County. Comparatively speaking, his Republican rival, John McCain received 41,986 absentee ballot votes to get the better of Barack Obama in the “ABSENTEE BALLOT CATEGORY” in Harris County, Texas. And get this, four years later, in the 2012 Presidential Election, when President Barack Obama was running for re-election, he only received 31,414 absentee ballot votes in Harris County, Texas. Remember, President Obama was running for re-election against Mitt Romney, who beat President Obama in the “ABSENTEE BALLOT CATEGORY” in Harris County, Texas. In case you don’t remember, Mitt Romney, the Republican received 43,270 absentee ballot votes in Harris County, Texas to get the better of President Barack Obama back in the 2012 Presidential Election in Harris County, Texas. Another quick note I would like to point out about the 2012 Presidential Election is how close the Harris County, Texas elections were back then – nothing like the “COMPLETE BLOWOUTS” we’ve been seeing recently. Back on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, there were 1,188,585 votes cast in the race for President of the United States, in Harris County, Texas between President Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and nine other candidates. At the end of the day, President Barack Obama received 587,044 votes for 49.39% of the vote. His Republican rival, Mitt Romney received 586,073 votes for 49.31% of the vote. Get this, after all of the votes, were tabulated, only 971 votes separated the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama/Joe Biden and Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan. How’s that for a close election?
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
Texas -- 2019
Charles Nathan Jackson, of Tarrant County, forged the name of a stranger, Mardene Hickerson, on an application for an early voting ballot. Jackson pleaded guilty to providing false information on a voting application, a felony, as part of a plea deal to avoid an enhancement for previous drug and theft offenses. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail and was given credit for time already served. -- Source
Texas -- 2018
Miguel Hernandez visited an elderly woman shortly before the 2017 Dallas City Council election, collected her blank absentee ballot, filled it out, and forged her signature before mailing it back. Hernandez was the first person arrested as part of a larger voter fraud investigation in the Dallas area, stemming from claims by elderly voters that someone was forging their signatures and the return of nearly 700 mail-in ballots all signed by the same witness using a fake name. Hernandez faced a felony illegal voting charge, but pleaded to a lesser misdemeanor offense of "method of returning the marked ballot." He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and given credit for time served. -- Source
Texas -- 2017
Tyron Davis, a former constable in Ellis County, Texas, was convicted of six counts of voter fraud for assisting nursing home residents with their mail-in ballots and voter registration applications without identifying his assistance on the ballot. He was also convicted of false identification as a peace officer for having pasted an image of his face onto the body of a peace officer for use on a flier advertising his assistance at the nursing home during his campaign, all before he became an officer. Davis resigned his officer's license to avoid jail time. -- Source
Texas -- 2016
Prosecutors charged Graciela Sanchez with four misdemeanor counts of violating election law in an effort to assist Guadalupe Rivera to win re-election to the post of Weslaco city commissioner in 2013. Rivera and Sanchez were found to have illegally "assisted" absentee ballot voters. The results of the election were disputed, and a judge determined that 30 ballots had been illegally cast in an election decided by only 16 votes. Sanchez pleaded guilty and received two years' probation. -- Source
Texas -- 2016
Guadalupe Rivera, a former Weslaco city commissioner, pleaded guilty to one count of providing illegal "assistance" to a voter by filling out an absentee ballot "in a way other than the way the voter directed or without direction from the voter." The fraud took place during Rivera's 2013 re-election bid, which he won by a scant 16 votes. His challenger sued alleging fraud, and a judge determined that 30 ballots had been illegally cast, enough to alter the outcome of the election. A new election was subsequently held, and Rivera lost. Rivera originally faced 16 election-related charges, 15 of which were dropped as part of his plea deal. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay a $500 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2015
Following an investigation by the Texas Attorney General's office, Margarita Rangel Ozuna was charged with engaging in election fraud, along with five others during the 2012 Democratic Primary runoff election. Ozuna pleaded guilty to charges of fraudulent use of absentee ballots and was sentenced to serve 15 days in Cameron County jail and required to pay a $250 fine. This was the second time that Ozuna was convicted of voter fraud. In 2013, she was convicted of felony voter fraud stemming from the 2010 election. -- Source
Texas -- 2015
Following an investigation by the Texas Attorney General's office, Sara Virginia Perales was charged with engaging in election fraud, along with five others during the 2012 Democratic Primary runoff election. After admitting that she falsified absentee ballots, Perales entered into a deferred adjudication agreement. She was required to complete 12 months' probation and pay a $150 fine, in addition to being barred from engaging in voting activities. -- Source
Texas -- 2012
Gilda Hernandez pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful assistance, two counts of illegal possession of a ballot, and two counts of failure to provide identifying information while assisting a voter. Hernandez was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication and a $250 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2010
Andrea Campos Bierstedt, a former member of the Freer City Council, was given pre-trial diversion after she was charged with illegally possessing a ballot belonging to another voter and "assisting" in filling it out. She was also ordered to pay a $3,500 donation to the county. -- Source
Texas -- 2010
Zaida Cantu Bueno, a politiquera in South Texas, pleaded guilty to absentee ballot fraud. Bueno was involved in vote-harvesting schemes in which she would illegally "assist" voters in filling out absentee ballots. Bueno received a 180-day suspended jail sentence and one year of probation and was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2010
Christina Lichtenberger pleaded guilty to illegally possessing an absentee ballot belonging to another voter and illegally "assisting" in filling it out. Lichtenberger received one year of deferred adjudication and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs. -- Source
Texas – 2010
Cynthia Lopez, of Live Oak County, pleaded guilty to one count of absentee ballot fraud after she unlawfully possessed other voters' absentee ballots in the 2008 primary election. She was sentenced to a 180-day suspended sentence, one year of probation, and was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2010
Norma Lopez, of Live Oak County, Texas, pleaded guilty to absentee ballot fraud after she unlawfully collected other voters' absentee ballots during the 2008 primary election. She was sentenced to a 180-day suspended jail sentence, one year of probation, and was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $200 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2010
Raul Pena Jr., Starr County Commissioner, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges that he illegally returned a marked ballot and that he mailed a ballot belonging to another vote. The charges stem from an incident in which Pena delivered 56 ballots to a local post office. Postal officials found it suspicious that Pena possessed so many ballots, yet none were signed by Pena as the law requires of those who assist voters. He was sentenced to six months of community supervision, received a 180 day suspended jail sentence, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. -- Source
Texas – 2010
Alicia Pena Perez, a former Freer municipal judge, pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful assistance and four counts of possession of a ballot. During the 2008 primary election, Perez took possession of ballots that did not belong to her and illegally prepared them. She received one year of probation and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus court costs. -- Source
Texas -- 2009
Oralia Frausto was sentenced for his role in a scheme that involved registering fake voters to vacant lots during the 2006 Democratic Primary. The goal was to submit a large number of mail-in ballots. He received a pre-trial diversion. -- Source
Texas – 2009
Maria Gonzalez was sentenced for her role in a scheme that involved registering fake voters to vacant lots during the 2006 Democratic Primary. The goal was to submit a large number of mail-in ballots. She received pre-trial diversion. -- Source
Texas -- 2009
Guadalupe Rios pleaded guilty to eleven counts of illegally possessing a ballot without the voter's consent. She was sentenced to 60 days' house arrest, four years of probation, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2008
Mark Littlefield, of Hays County, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a forged instrument stemming from forgery and document tampering conducted during a 2006 special election. He was admitted to a one-year pretrial diversion program and was ordered to make a $300 donation. -- Source
Texas -- 2008
Elva Gutierrez Lazo, a former Duval County precinct secretary, pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing another's ballot during the 2006 primary election. Lazo and others helped voters to register to receive absentee ballots by falsely claiming they were disabled. She later returned to collect and mail the absentee votes. Lazo received one year of deferred adjudication and one year of community supervision and was ordered to pay a $300 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2008
Lydia Molina, then-Treasurer for Duval County, pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing another's ballot during the 2006 primary election. Molina and others helped voters to register to receive absentee ballots by falsely claiming they were disabled. She later returned to collect and mail the absentee votes. Molina received one year of deferred adjudication and one year of community supervision and was ordered to pay a $300 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2008
Oscar Rios pleaded guilty to 12 counts of illegally possessing a ballot without a voter's consent. Rios was involved in a scheme to register phony voters at vacant lots in an effort to receive and submit a large number of mail-in ballots for the 2006 Democratic Primary. He was sentenced to two years of deferred adjudication, two years of community supervision, and was ordered to pay a $300 fine. -- Source
Texas – 2008
Maria Soriano, then-head of the Duval Welfare Department, pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing another's ballot during the 2006 primary election. Soriano and others helped voters register to receive absentee ballots by falsely claiming they were disabled. She later returned to collect and mail the absentee votes. Soriano received one year of deferred adjudication and one year of community supervision and was ordered to pay a $300 fine. -- Source
Texas – 2008
Maria Adelina Trigo, a former Duval County welfare clerk, pleaded guilty to one count of illegally possessing a ballot that was not her own during the 2006 primary election. Trigo and others helped voters to register to receive absentee ballots by falsely claiming they were disabled. Trigo later returned to collect and mail the absentee vote. She received one year of deferred adjudication and one year of community supervision and was ordered to pay a $300 fine. -- Source
Texas – 2007
Raymond Villarreal, the then-County Commissioner of Refugio, pleaded guilty to charges related to a scheme to rig the absentee vote in his favor during his 2006 primary race for commissioner. Villarreal first had registered voters request absentee ballots but then routed the ballots to known supporters who would vote for Villarreal. He then had the original applicants sign the ballots. He was sentenced to 90 days in the county jail and given five years of probation. He was also ordered to complete 300 hours of community service and pay $2,500 in fines. Villarreal was forced to resign. -- Source
Texas -- 2006
Virginia Ramos Garza, of Nueces County, was charged with four counts of "possessing an official ballot or carrier envelope of another." In a 2005 school district election, she targeted the elderly by going door-to-door to obtain votes, and then took the ballots to the post office for mailing. She was admitted into a one-year pretrial diversion program, which included 12 months of community supervision. Garza conspired to engage in vote harvesting with Elida Garza Flores, Isabel Rios Gonzalez, and Josefina Marinas Suarez, all of whom were charged and ultimately admitted into diversion programs or received deferred adjudications. -- Source
Texas -- 2006
Elida Garza Flores, of Nueces County, was charged with one count of "possessing of an official ballot or carrier envelope of another." In a 2005 school district election, she targeted the elderly by going door-to-door to obtain votes, and then took the ballots to the post office for mailing. She was admitted into a one-year pretrial diversion program, which included 12 months of community supervision. She conspired to engage in vote harvesting with Virginia Ramos Garza, Isabel Rios Gonzalez, and Josefina Marinas Suarez, all of whom were charged and ultimately admitted into diversion programs or received deferred adjudications. -- Source
Texas -- 2006
Isabel Rios Gonzalez, of Nueces County, entered a plea of nolo contendere to two counts of "possessing of an official ballot or carrier envelope of another." In a 2005 school district election, she targeted the elderly by going door-to-door to obtain votes, and then took the ballots to the post office for mailing. She was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication, 12 months of community supervision, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. She conspired to engage in vote harvesting with Virginia Ramos Garza, Elida Garza Flores, and Josefina Marinas Suarez, all of whom were charged and ultimately admitted into diversion programs or received deferred adjudications. -- Source
Texas -- 2006
Anita Baeza was given six months of pre-trial diversion after she was charged with five counts of illegally possessing another's ballot during the 2004 primary. -- Source
Texas – 2006
Willie Ray, a Texarkana Ward 2 City Councilwoman, and Jamillah Johnson pleaded guilty to fraudulent use of absentee ballots during the 2004 general election. The two women illegally assisted the elderly and other voters in submitting applications for mail-in ballots, then collected and mailed in the completed ballots for the voters. This assistance is a Class B misdemeanor under Texas law. The judge fined Willie Ray $200 and sentenced her to eight months of probation. Jamillah Johnson received a $200 fine and six months of probation. -- Source
Texas -- 2006
Melinda Hunter was indicted on seven counts of illegally possessing and transporting ballots not belonging to her. Hunter illegally assisted elderly voters in preparing their ballots. She was placed in a six-month pretrial diversion program. -- Source
Texas -- 2006
Josefina Marinas Suarez pleaded guilty to a charge of handling an official ballot belonging to another. During the 2005 Robstown school district election, Suarez targeted elderly voters, soliciting votes and returning the absentee ballots herself. Under Texas law, she was not permitted to handle or transport absentee ballots. Suarez was sentenced to one year of deferred adjudication probation and a $500 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2006
Trinidad Villalobos was convicted by a jury of illegally possessing and transporting ballots belonging to multiple voters during the 2004 primary. According to witnesses, Villalobos offered to assist elderly voters to fill out applications for absentee ballots and would later collect and mail those ballots. Unauthorized possession of ballots is a misdemeanor under Texas law. Villalobos received six months of probation for each charge. -- Source
Texas -- 2005
Melva Kay Ponce was convicted for mailing in an absentee ballot for her deceased mother in the November 2004 general election. She pleaded guilty to one charge of illegal voter registration and was sentenced to two years of deferred adjudication and ordered to pay a $1,500 fine. -- Source
Texas -- 2005
Johnny Wayne Akers, of Hardeman County, was charged with six counts of "possession of an official ballot or carrier envelope of another" for engaging in vote harvesting activities during a 2004 primary election in Texas. He pleaded guilty to possession of an official ballot and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. -- Source
New Mexico -- 2020
Dyon Hererra, of Espanola, conspired with Laura Seeds to falsify absentee ballots in support of Seeds' husband's candidacy for mayor in 2016. Hererra forged the signatures of his grandparents on absentee ballots. The candidate that he cast the ballots in favor of, won the race by two votes. Herrera was charged with conspiracy to violate the municipal election code of Espanola, a fourth-degree felony, and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation. -- Source
New Mexico -- 2020
Laura Seeds, of Espanola, conspired with Dyon Herrera to falsify several absentee ballots in favor of Seeds' husband, a city councilman who was running for mayor in 2016. Seeds was charged with two counts of making false statements relative to the municipal election code, one count of conspiracy to violate the municipal election code, and ten counts of possession of another person's absentee ballot. Seeds was found guilty of two counts of making false statements relative to the municipal election code and two counts of possession of another person's absentee ballot, which are all fourth-degree felonies. She was sentenced to six months of house arrest, followed by five years of supervised probation. -- Source
North Carolina – 2019
A general election for the seat in the Ninth Congressional district was decertified by North Carolina State Board of Elections after credible allegations of absentee ballot abuse arose. Officials became suspicious when 61% of the vote-by-mail ballots were cast for the Republican candidate, despite the fact that only 16% of the mail-by-ballot were registered Republicans. Multiple people, including the Republican candidate’s son, expressed their suspicions that a political contractor illegally organized the collection of absentee ballots and completed empty mail-in ballots. The Board of Elections ordered a new election to fill the seat and the contractor was subsequently indicted. -- Source
Alabama -- 2019
Elbert Melton, the former mayor of Gordon, illegally notarized two ballots, without witnesses present, during the 2016 election in which he was running for mayor. Melton won that race by only 16 votes. Melton was convicted on two counts of absentee ballot fraud, was removed from office, and was sentenced to serve one year in prison followed by two years of probation. -- Source
Oregon -- 2019
Marjory Gale, of Hood River, voted twice in the 2016 election, once for herself and once for her daughter. Both votes were cast by absentee ballot. Gale pleaded guilty to a violation and was ordered to pay a $750 fine. -- Source
New Hampshire -- 2018
A woman filled out her late husband's absentee ballot for the 2016 general election, claiming he had done so prior to his death. She was given a $500 civil penalty. Her case was included in an official report compiled by New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner and other state election officials, but her name was redacted. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2018
Troy Stevenson was convicted of making a false statement on an absentee ballot as well as second-degree forgery, both class D felonies. He committed this crime on October 28, 2017, in connection with the November 2017 mayoral election in Stafford. Stevenson was given a three-year suspended sentence. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2018
Betty Chappell was convicted of making a false statement on an absentee ballot as well as second-degree forgery, both class D felonies. She committed this crime on October 28, 2017, in connection with the November 2017 mayoral election in Stafford. Chappell received a five-year suspended sentence. -- Source
Florida -- 2018
Bret Warren, of Casselberry, entered a plea of nolo-contendere to two third-degree felony voter fraud charges. Warren's fraud was uncovered when five residents of Altamonte Springs noted they had not received their absentee ballots for the 2016 presidential election. The ballots had nonetheless been returned and were filled out and signed. Investigators matched fingerprints on the envelope to Warren through a federal database, and DNA obtained from the envelope also matched Warren. Warren was charged with two counts of felony false swearing in connection with voting or elections, and after pleading nolo-contendere was sentenced to 154 days' imprisonment with credit for time served, and ordered to pay $468 in fees and court costs. -- Source
Oklahoma -- 2018
Ronald Henry, a 2015 candidate for trustee in Luther, Oklahoma, brought several absentee ballots to be notarized by Mayor Cecilia Taft. It is illegal for a ballot to be notarized without the person signing being present. Ronald Henry entered an Alford plea to the charges and received a five-year deferred sentence. -- Source
Virginia -- 2018
Richard Douglas Dohmen, of James City County, committed voter fraud when he attempted to cast ballots for both himself and his dead wife in a 2018 state election. Dohmen was charged with forging public records and making false statements on required forms and pleaded guilty to making false statements on required forms. He was sentenced to 1 year in the penitentiary, 3 years of unsupervised probation, and was ordered to pay a $458 fine. -- Source
Florida -- 2017
Former Eatonville Mayor Anthony Grant was convicted of a felony voting fraud charge, a felony election violation, and misdemeanor absentee voting violations. During the 2015 election, while he was running for election, he coerced absentee voters to cast ballots for him. In at least one case, Grant personally solicited an absentee vote from a non-resident of Eatonville. Grant, who had previously served as mayor, lost the in-person vote, but still won the election with more than twice the number of absentee ballots than were cast for incumbent Bruce Mount. Following his indictment, Grant was suspended by Florida Governor Rick Scott. He was sentenced to 400 hours of community service and four years' probation. -- Source
Florida -- 2017
Mia Antoinette Nowells, a campaign worker for former Eatonville Mayor Anthony Grant, was found guilty of coercing Layota Jackson to vote for Grant in the 2015 election. Nowells was charged with intimidating voters and tampering with absentee ballots. She was sentenced to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service. -- Source
Colorado -- 2017
Toni Lee Newbill pleaded guilty to voting twice using her deceased father's name to do so, once in the 2013 general election and again in the Republican primary of 2016. Newbill was sentenced to 18 months of unsupervised probation and 30 hours of community service and was ordered to pay a $500 fine and additional court fees. -- Source
Illinois -- 2017
Steveland Kidd pleaded guilty to two counts of violating absentee ballots during a municipal election in April 2013. Kidd took possession of and delivered, an absentee ballot to election authorities despite not being legally allowed to do so. The crime is a Class Three felony. Kidd was sentenced to 12 days in the St. Clair County Jail and is now barred from engaging in campaign-related activities or electioneering. -- Source
Illinois -- 2017
Brian McDouglar, a resident of Cahokia, Illinois, was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of falsifying or tampering with an absentee ballot, a class 3 felony. McDouglar illegally took an absentee ballot from a voter he was not related to and then placed that ballot in the mail. -- Source
Iowa -- 2017
Terri Lynn Rote attempted to vote twice in the 2016 presidential election. Rote cited fears that the election was rigged to justify her attempt to cast two absentee votes for Donald Trump. Rote was arrested attempting to cast the second ballot. She pleaded guilty to a felony charge of election misconduct, and was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $750 fine. -- Source
Alabama -- 2017
Brandon Dean, who was elected mayor of Brighton, Alabama in 2016, was ordered to vacate the office after a judge determined that 46 fraudulent absentee votes had been cast for him in the 2016 election. Of these ballots, 21 were not signed by the voter, 22 had been sent to Dean's address instead of the voters' homes, 2 absentee ballots were submitted by voters who were actually present at city hall on Election Day, and one did not live in Brighton city limits. Deducting the fraudulent votes dropped Dean's vote total below the threshold needed to avoid a mandatory runoff, which the city of Brighton must now hold. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2017
Melvin Howell, of Asbury Park, pleaded guilty to a fourth-degree felony charge after she filled out applications for nonexistent voters in a local school board election. According to the Union County Clerk, at least 54 ballots were tainted with irregularities. Howell was sentenced to one year of probation. -- Source
Colorado -- 2017
Sarilu Sosa-Sanchez voted twice in the 2013 election, once in her own name and once in the name of her late mother. Sosa-Sanchez pleaded guilty to a felony forgery charge after admitting she forged her late mother's signature on a ballot. She also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor double voting charge. Sosa-Sanchez was sentenced to 60 hours of community service, was ordered to pay restitution and court fees, and will help the clerk and recorder's office educate other residents about the consequences of voter fraud. -- Source
Minnesota -- 2017
Michelle Marie Landsteiner forged the signature and voted for a family member during the 2016 Minnesota primary. However, the family member had already registered to vote elsewhere, and her ballot was flagged. Upon review, the voter's signature and the witness's signature looked extremely similar. Landsteiner pled guilty to unlawful voting and was sentenced to one year of probation and nearly $600 in fees. A 90-day jail sentence will be waived after completing her probation. -- Source
Alabama -- 2017
A judge overturned the preliminary election results and declared Lewis Washington as the winner in a contested Wetumpka City Council District 2 election. On election night, it appeared that Washington's opponent, Percy Gill, who was the incumbent, had won by three votes. Washington challenged the result, and following a trial in which live witnesses and forensics experts testified, the judge threw out eight absentee ballots that had been cast for Gill either because the signatures had been forged or they had not been notarized or signed in front of the requisite number of witnesses, and declared Washington to be the winner. -- Source
Indiana -- 2017
Max Judson was convicted of election fraud and witness tampering during the 2014 primary election. While a candidate for the city council during the election, he admitted that he solicited someone he knew not to be a resident of the district to cast an absentee ballot. He also admitted that when he realized he was being investigated, he attempted to intervene and deter the voter from communicating with law enforcement. He was sentenced to one year and one day in prison in addition to one year of supervised release and a $500 fine. He was also forced to resign from his seat on the Sullivan County Council. -- Source
Colorado -- 2017
Steven Curtis, the former head of the Colorado Republican Party, was charged with a misdemeanor election mail-in ballot offense, as well as one count of forgery of a public record. It was revealed through handwriting analysis that Curtis forged his ex-wife's name on her ballot and mailed it in. He was found guilty and sentenced to four-year probation and 300 hours of community service. -- Source
Illinois -- 2016
Audrey Cook, a Madison County election judge, sent in a ballot marked for Donald Trump in the 2016 election on behalf of her recently deceased husband. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of attempted violation of the election code in exchange for dropping a felony perjury charge. -- Source
Alabama -- 2016
Daniel W. Reynolds pleaded guilty to three counts of absentee ballot fraud and was sentenced to two years' probation. Reynolds, the chief campaign volunteer for Commissioner Amos Newsome, participated in falsifying absentee ballots in the Dothan District 2 election between Newsome and his rival Lamesa Danzey in the summer of 2013. -- Source
Indiana -- 2016
Lowell "Ross" Colen, a 10-year veteran of the Rising Sun Police Department, was forced to resign after pleading guilty to four counts of felony voter fraud. Colen was accused of illegally trying to help his father win election to the Rising Sun City Council by completing absentee voter applications and filling out ballots for people who were not eligible to vote in the county, and in some cases forging signatures. Colen evidently conducted some of this illegal activity while in uniform and on duty. He pleaded guilty to four counts of felony vote fraud and was sentenced to concurrently serve one year in prison and 185 days' probation. -- Source
New Hampshire -- 2016
Nancy Sullivan, a resident of Windham, admitted having committed voter fraud in the 2014 general election. Sullivan fraudulently obtained an absentee ballot in the name of her son, Avery Galloway, by forging his signature on an absentee ballot request form, as well as on the envelope containing the completed ballot. Sullivan avoided criminal prosecution and the permanent loss of her ability to vote by paying a fine as a civil penalty and signing a consent agreement with the Attorney General. -- Source
New York -- 2016
Ana Cuevas, a campaign aide for Hector Ramirez, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after she and other staff went door to door tricking potential voters into signing absentee ballot applications. They then took the applications to the Board of Elections, retrieved the absentee ballots, and voted for Ramirez without the voters' knowledge. Cuevas was sentenced to a conditional discharge. -- Source
New York -- 2016
Hector Ramirez pleaded guilty to one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument. Ramirez, a 2014 State Assembly Candidate for the 86th District Assembly District, deceived voters into giving their absentee ballots to his campaign on the false premise that the campaign would then submit the ballots. Instead, Ramirez's campaign inserted his name on at least thirty-five of the absentee ballots. Ramirez initially won the 2014 race, but a recount determined he had lost by two votes. In lieu of jail time, Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett imposed a three-year ban on Ramirez running for office. Ramirez could face jail time if he runs for office in violation of his three-year ban. Prior to his guilty plea, Ramirez unsuccessfully ran for the same state assembly seat on numerous occasions, most recently in the 2016 election. -- Source
Alabama -- 2015
Janice Lee Hart pleaded guilty to eight misdemeanor counts of attempted absentee ballot fraud in connection with misconduct while working on the 2013 campaign for District 2 City Commissioner Amos Newsome. Prosecutors charged that Hart was not present when absentee ballots were signed even though she was listed as a witness on the ballots. In the election, Newsome defeated his challenger by only 14 votes and received 119 out of the 124 absentee ballots cast. A judge sentenced Hart to 12 months in the county jail for each count, which he suspended to two years of probation for each count. -- Source
Alabama -- 2015
A Houston County jury found Lesa Coleman guilty of seven felony counts of absentee ballot fraud related to the 2013 election for a city commission seat. Coleman received a three-year split sentence. She will serve 180 days in jail followed by three years of probation. -- Source
Alabama -- 2015
Olivia Lee Reynolds was convicted of 24 counts of voter fraud. While working on the 2013 campaign for her boyfriend, Dothan City Commissioner Amos Newsome, Reynolds filled out voters' ballots for them and told others for whom to vote. Her fraud had definite consequences: Commissioner Newsome won reelection by a mere 14 votes, losing the in-person vote by a wide margin but winning an incredible 96 percent of the absentee vote. Newsome himself faced pressure to resign as a consequence. Reynolds was sentenced to serve six months in a community corrections facility. She is appealing the conviction. -- Source
Pennsylvania -- 2015
Eugene Gallagher pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in connection with the November 2013 election, in which he was a candidate for councilman in the Taylor Borough. He unlawfully persuaded Taylor residents and non-residents to register for absentee ballots in the election using a Taylor address. Gallagher was the top vote-getter in the election and won his first term as councilman. With his guilty plea, Gallagher can no longer hold public office. A judge sentenced him to a maximum of 10 months in jail and two months of house arrest for both his election fraud conviction and a DUI conviction. He was also sentenced to more than five years of court supervision and 200 hours of community service. -- Source
Illinois – 2015
Brian McDouglar was convicted of falsifying or tampering with an absentee ballot. He was sentenced to two years in prison for the Class C felony. -- Source
Kentucky -- 2014
Ruth Robinson, the former mayor of Martin, Kentucky, was sentenced to 90 months' imprisonment on a variety of charges that included vote buying, identity theft, and fraud. With specific regard to the election charges, Robinson and co-conspirators James "Red" Robinson (her husband) and James Steven Robinson (her son) threatened and intimidated residents of Martin in the run-up to the 2012 election in which Robinson was seeking re-election. The cabal targeted residents living in public housing or in properties Robinson owned, threatening them with eviction if they did not sign absentee ballots the Robinsons had already filled out. Robinson also targeted disabled residents and offered to buy the votes of others. "Red" Robinson was sentenced to 40 months in prison, and his son James Steven Robinson received a total of 31 months' imprisonment. -- Source
Illinois -- 2014
Augustus Stacker, Jr., of Belleville, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of a violation of absentee ballots. He assisted in manipulating up to 27 fraudulent absentee ballots in a municipal election. Stacker was sentenced to 18 months of conditional discharge and required to pay court costs. -- Source
Michigan -- 2014
Salim Ahmed pleaded guilty to one felony count of unlawful possession of an absentee ballot. Ahmed was initially charged with 20 counts of improper return of absentee ballots. He and two other men delivered absentee ballots to the city clerk's office from people not related to them or members of their household. Ahmed was fined and ordered to pay court costs. -- Source
Michigan -- 2014
Armani Asad, an unsuccessful candidate for Hamtramck City Council, pleaded guilty to one count of improper possession of an absentee ballot. Asad initially faced 14 charges related to the improper return of absentee ballots. He and two other men illegally delivered absentee ballots to the city clerk's office from people not related to them or members of their household. Asad was fined and ordered to pay court costs. -- Source
Michigan -- 2014
Russell Mohammed pleaded guilty to one felony count of unlawful possession of an absentee ballot. Mohammed was initially charged with six counts of improper return of absentee ballots. He and two other men were charged with delivering absentee ballots to the city clerk's office from people not related to them or members of their household. Mohammed was fined and ordered to pay court costs. -- Source
Michigan -- 2014
Mohammed Abdur Rahman, of Hamtramck, pleaded guilty to one count of improper possession of an absentee ballot. He initially faced five counts of improper possession of ballots during the 2013 primary election. He was sentenced to probation. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2014
Eleven individuals were arrested in a state investigation of possible manipulation of absentee ballots in the election of Paterson Councilman Rigo Rodriguez. They entered into pre-trial intervention, a probationary program, to avoid trial and possible prison time. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2014
Former Paterson Councilman Rigo Rodriguez and his wife were entered into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program after facing charges of conspiracy, election fraud, mail-in ballot fraud, and witness tampering. Paterson and his wife, who managed his campaign, orchestrated a scheme to take possession of absentee ballots and "assist" voters in filling them out, or fill them out fraudulently. Rodriguez instructed his volunteers to lie to officials investigating his scheme. -- Source
New York -- 2014
William McInerney, John Brown, Anthony DeFiglio, and Anthony Renna pleaded guilty to felony charges, having forged signatures on absentee ballots during the 2009 Working Families Party primary. Sentences: John Brown, six months' imprisonment; Anthony DeFiglio, 100 hours' community service; Anthony Renna, 200 hours in the work-order program; William McInerney, 90 days in the work-order program. -- Source
North Carolina -- 2014
When her husband passed away, Verna Roehm decided to honor his last request--to vote for Mitt Romney in the 2012 election. Months after his death, Mrs. Roehm filled out and submitted an absentee ballot in her husband's name. The illegal vote was caught after the election during an audit by election officials; when confronted about the irregularity, Mrs. Roehm admitted to casting the vote. Recognizing the unusual circumstances of the case, the judge convicted Roehm of a misdemeanor rather than a felony. She received no jail time. -- Source
Pennsylvania -- 2014
The former police chief of Harmar Township pleaded guilty to illegally soliciting absentee ballots to benefit his wife and her running mate in the 2009 Democratic primary for town council. Toney applied for the ballots and then had them filled out illegally by individuals not expected to be absent on election day. The absentee ballot count flipped the primary results, securing a victory for Mrs. Toney's running mate. During the subsequent FBI investigation, Mr. Toney attempted to prevent witnesses, including two grand jury witnesses, from testifying. Toney was sentenced to three years' probation. -- Source
Ohio – 2013
During the 2012 election, Russell Glassop obtained and submitted an absentee ballot in the name of his deceased wife. After Glassop pleaded guilty to absentee ballot fraud, the judge sentenced him to a diversion program. -- Source
Ohio -- 2013
Sister Marguerite Kloos pleaded guilty and resigned as the Dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities for The College of Mount St. Joseph's, after admitting that she cast an absentee ballot in the name of the late Sister Rose Marie Hewitt, who had died one month before the election. She was sentenced to a diversion program. -- Source
Ohio -- 2013
Marian Wilson, from Grove City, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of illegal voting. Wilson voted twice in the 2010 general election, requesting and submitting two absentee ballots under two different names--Marian Wilson and Marian Toles. She was sentenced to one year of probation. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2013
The State Elections Enforcement Commission ruled that State Rep. Minnie Gonzalez was "knowingly present" while four voters fraudulently filled out absentee ballots at City Hall during the 2006 election. She was fined $4,500 by the Commission. Gonzalez appealed the fine but lost in the state Superior Court. -- Source
Florida – 2013
Deisy Cabrera pleaded guilty to charges of being an absentee ballot broker (boletera) as part of a massive absentee voter fraud scheme. Her notebook contained the names and addresses of over 500 voters who were mostly elderly Hispanics in Hialeah. The lists, titled Deisy's Voters, reportedly included information as to whether the voter was illiterate or was blind, deaf, or had Alzheimer's. She was sentenced to one year of probation. -- Source
Florida -- 2013
Chief of Staff to Florida Rep. Joe Garcia (D_26), Jeffrey Garcia, resigned and pleaded guilty to orchestrating a plot involving the submission of hundreds of fraudulent absentee-ballot requests during the primary in 2012. Garcia was sentenced to 90 days in prison and 18 months' probation. He was ordered to spend the first three months of probation under house arrest. -- Source
Illinois -- 2013
Pamela Bryant, of Cahokia, pleaded guilty to three counts of incorrectly marking an absentee ballot. She received probation. -- Source
Illinois -- 2013
Monica LaPlant, of Cahokia, was charged with incorrectly marking an absentee ballot in the 2013 election. She was given probation after pleading guilty. -- Source
Indiana -- 2013
Austin Mayor Doug Campbell faced voter fraud charges that he illegally accepted absentee ballots from voters and filled out a woman's incomplete ballot. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor electioneering in exchange for prosecutors agreeing to dismiss the felony voter fraud and conspiracy charges, which enabled him to remain in office. -- Source
Indiana -- 2013
Paul Etheridge, the former New Albany mayoral candidate in the Democratic primary, was charged with voter fraud for endorsing a ballot of someone he knew to be ineligible in the May 2011 Democratic mayoral primary in New Albany, Indiana. He pleaded guilty to Forgery of Official Ballot Endorsement and received a suspended 18-month sentence. -- Source
Indiana -- 2013
Michael Marshall, a Jennings County Democratic Party worker, pleaded guilty to three counts of vote fraud relating to applications for absentee ballots for his son, brother, and former roommate. Marshall was sentenced to 18 months in prison. -- Source
Iowa – 2013
Beth Ann Gallagher cast an absentee ballot in Iowa on behalf of her daughter, who had recently moved to Minnesota (and who also voted in Minnesota) in the 2012 election. Gallagher pleaded guilty to a false representation of records or process and paid a fine. -- Source
Maryland -- 2013
Elsie Virginia Schildt, of Frederick, pleaded guilty to attempting to vote more than once in the same election. She had attempted to submit an absentee ballot in her mother's name in the 2012 general election, despite the fact that her mother had died more than a month beforehand. She was sentenced to probation before judgment and required to perform 40 hours of community service. -- Source
Maryland –2013
Linda Earlette Wells pleaded guilty to impersonating a voter after she attempted to vote as her deceased mother. While she was a registered voter in Florida, Wells called the town where her mother had been registered, claimed to be her mother (who had passed away), and asserted that she had not, in fact, died. She then obtained an absentee ballot and attempted to vote in the 2012 presidential election. -- Source
Massachusetts -- 2013
Courtney Llewellyn, an East Longmeadow town employee, conspired with her husband to cast absentee ballots in her husband's race for state office. She changed the party registration of 285 registered Democrats to unaffiliated, and then requested Republican primary ballots for all of them. She and her husband took the ballots on the pretense of mailing them to the voters, but never did so. Llewellyn pleaded guilty to five charges including larceny, forgery, conspiracy, and interfering with an election official. She was sentenced to one year of probation. -- Source
New Hampshire -- 2013
Adam Kumpu of Milford was fined $1,000 and his mother, Janine Kumpu of Milford, was fined $250 for committing voter fraud in the 2012 election. Janine Kumpu obtained an absentee ballot in her son's name, and he used it to vote in Milford last November. He also voted in person in Keene. The 2012 election was the first one in which photo IDs were required for voting in New Hampshire. -- Source
Massachusetts -- 2012
Former State Representative Stephen Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of voter fraud in a scheme in which he obtained absentee ballots for ineligible voters and, in some cases, cast their ballots without their knowledge. He was sentenced to four months in prison, a year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine. -- Source
Iowa -- 2012
Mark Evangelous was charged with violating absentee voting laws, uttering a false document, and forgery related to his submission of an absentee ballot application in the name of a deceased voter. Evangelous claimed he had input the name of his sister-in-law incorrectly. The absentee ballot charge was dismissed, and the judge continued his case without a finding for a year, ordering him to complete 200 hours of community service. -- Source
Indiana -- 2012
John Cook, of Jennings County, pleaded guilty to perjury after he was arrested in connection with absentee ballot fraud. He was sentenced to 545 days' imprisonment, with one year of that time suspended. -- Source
Indiana -- 2012
Joshua Clemons was charged with voter fraud for completing two absentee ballots for people he knew to be ineligible in the May 2011 Democratic Primary. He pleaded guilty to fraudulent delivery of ballots and received a suspended 18-month sentence. -- Source
Indiana -- 2012
Christopher Marshall, of Jennings County, pleaded guilty to deception in a case involving absentee ballot fraud. His father, Michael Marshall, was working on a mayoral re-election campaign and was responsible for soliciting absentee ballot voters. He recruited his son and another individual (John Cook) to assist him. Christopher Marshall was ordered to pay court costs and fees, a fine, and restitution totaling $212. --- Source
Florida -- 2012
Sergio Robaina (the uncle of former Hialeah mayor) was charged with illegally collecting absentee ballots, a misdemeanor, and with felony voter fraud charges for allegedly filling out a ballot against the wishes of two voters, one of them a woman with dementia. Robaina pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of illegal possession of absentee ballots and was sentenced to one year of probation. -- Source
Arkansas -- 2012
Democratic Rep. Hudson Hallum, his father Kent Hallum, and two campaign workers, Phillip Wayne Carter and Sam Malone, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit election fraud. The lawmaker's campaign bribed absentee voters and destroyed ballots in the Arkansas District 54 primary, runoff, and general elections in 2011. Hudson Hallam was sentenced to one year of home detention, three years' probation, and was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and complete 100 hours of community service. Kent Hallum received probation and nine months' home confinement. Sam Malone received three years' probation (7.2 months of which was home confinement), and 100 hours of community service. Carter received three years' probation (five months of which was monitored home confinement) 100 hours of community service, and a $2,500 fine. -- Source
California -- 2012
Officials in the small town of Cudahy took part in a widespread corruption scheme that included accepting cash bribes, abusing drugs at City Hall, and throwing out absentee ballots that favored election challengers. After a lengthy FBI Investigation of the 2007 and 2009 elections, the former head of code enforcement, Angel Perales, admitted to tampering with mail-in ballots in city elections by opening them and then resealing and submitting votes for incumbent candidates while discarding votes for challengers. He and Mayor David Silva pleaded guilty to bribery and extortion charges, although Perales' plea agreement included his admission of election fraud. Silva was sentenced to one year in federal prison. Perales was sentenced to five years' probation. -- Source
Colorado -- 2012
In 2012, Brittany Curtis pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant when she forged signatures and voter information on a ballot petition. She was given a deferred sentence of two years and fined $1,653.50. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2012
John Fernandez, who worked for the Essex County Department of Economic Development, was convicted of election fraud, absentee ballot fraud, and forgery. Fernandez submitted phony absentee ballots while he was working on the 2007 election campaign of state Sen. Teresa Ruiz. Fernandez's scheme involved messenger ballots, which are used by voter’s home-bound by illness or a disability. Fernandez fraudulently obtained the ballots, then filled them out on behalf of the voters who had never received them. He received a five-year prison sentence. -- Source
Oklahoma -- 2012
Darryl Cates, of Westville, entered a plea of nolo contendere to charges of false notarization of absentee ballots. The charges stemmed from the 2009 Cave Springs School District election, in which 33 ballots were disputed based on inconsistencies between the signatures on ballot request forms and voter affidavits. All of the contested ballots were notarized by Cates. He was essentially charged with signing the names of two voters on absentee ballots. Following his plea, Cates received a three-year deferred sentence. -- Source
West Virginia -- 2012
Former Lincoln County Commissioner Thomas Ramey pleaded guilty to lying to federal officers in the midst of their investigation of a massive voter fraud conspiracy. Sheriff Jerry Bowman and County Clerk Donald Whitten also pleaded guilty, admitting that they stuffed ballot boxes with fraudulent ballots and falsified absentee ballots in an effort to rig the 2010 Democratic primary. Whitten won the election, but a judge overturned the election after throwing out 300 fraudulent ballots. Ramey was sentenced to 21 months of imprisonment. Bowman was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine. Whitten was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release, with a $5,000 fine. -- Source
Alabama -- 2012
Shelia Pritchett, of Phenix City, was charged with two counts of second-degree forgery and two counts of absentee ballot fraud stemming from illegal activity while working for a 2012 candidate for municipal office. Pritchett pleaded guilty to all four counts and was sentenced to 22 months of probation, and fined $2,500. A spokeswoman for the Russell County district attorney confirmed the disposition of this case. -- Source
Alabama -- 2012
Stephanie Elias, of Columbus, was charged with four counts of second-degree forgery and four counts of absentee ballot fraud stemming from illegal activity while working for a 2012 candidate for municipal office in Phenix City. Elias pleaded guilty to all eight counts and was sentenced to 22 months of probation, and fined $2,500. A spokeswoman for the Russell County district attorney confirmed the disposition of this case. -- Source
Connecticut – 2011
City Councilwoman Lydia Martinez admitted to illegally assisting in the filling out of absentee ballots, as well as encouraging those not eligible to vote absentee to do so. Martinez targeted residents of an assisted living home, Harborview Towers. She was ordered by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission to pay a $500 fine. This was not the first time she was fined by the Commission: In 2008, she was found liable to pay $664 to the Citizens Election Fund for the excess expenditures her campaign committee made for her failed run for the State House. -- Source
Georgia -- 2011
Former Twiggs County Sheriff Doyle Stone and his son, Greg Stone, were investigated for mishandling absentee ballots in Greg Stone's 2008 primary campaign for sheriff. Absentee voters complained that Doyle Stone coerced them into voting for Greg Stone, and then took their ballots rather than allow them to be mailed in. Greg Stone lost the election by a wide margin. Both men agreed to pay $300 in civil fines. -- Source
Illinois -- 2011
Michael Collins was convicted of election fraud and tax evasion after giving a false address to establish eligibility to vote in East St. Louis, even though he lived in Swansea. He was also elected to be a precinct committeeman in East St. Louis after getting family members to sign petitions to get him on the ballot. He was sentenced to 50 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. -- Source
Indiana -- 2011
Monte Murphy, a former Muncie City Councilman, was convicted of three counts of illegally receiving absentee ballots following a jury trial. He provided the ballots to the individuals, told them how to vote for a straight Democrat ticket, and then mailed in the ballots for them. The trial court reduced each conviction to a Class A misdemeanor and sentenced Monte to consecutive one-year terms, suspended to probation. -- Source
Mississippi -- 2011
Terrance Watts, a convicted felon and therefore ineligible to vote, pleaded guilty to two counts of voter fraud for swearing in an affidavit on an absentee ballot that he was eligible to vote in Madison County and for voting in two elections. He was sentenced to two consecutive five-year prison terms. -- Source
Mississippi -- 2011
NAACP official Lessadolla Sowers was convicted on 10 counts of fraudulently casting absentee ballots for voting in the names of 10 people, four of them deceased. She received a five-year sentence for each count, to be served concurrently. -- Source
Montana -- 2011
Alan Lloyd Skari pleaded guilty to a "limits on voting rights" charge after he submitted his ex-wife's absentee ballot without her permission. He was given a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay a $250 fine plus a $35 surcharge. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2011
Angel Colon pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree election fraud for fraudulently submitting absentee messenger ballots on behalf of voters who never received the ballots or had an opportunity to cast their votes. He was sentenced to three years in prison. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2011
Ronald Harris pleaded guilty to charges in connection with an absentee ballot fraud conspiracy, in which he and 13 others shredded ballots which cast votes for the opposition during the 2009 Atlantic City Democratic primary. He was sentenced to 181 days in prison. -- Source
Ohio -- 2011
Deshara M. McKinney, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to falsifying signatures on applications for absentee ballots while working as a canvasser in the 2009 ballot initiative to allow casinos in Ohio. McKinney fled the state after her fraud was discovered, and was eventually arrested in Michigan. She was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to complete 40 hours of community service. She was also required to pay court costs and the cost of her extradition. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2010
Ernest Storr pleaded guilty to committing absentee ballot fraud by tampering with ballots in the Atlantic City mayoral campaigns of Marty Small and former Mayor Scott Evans. Storr tampered with absentee ballots and instructed a Small campaign worker to do the same. Storr was one of 14 individuals arrested on various voter fraud charges involving Councilman Small's failed 2009 mayoral bid. He was sentenced to probation in May 2013. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2010
Gianine Narvaez, a former data processing technician for the Essex County Commissioner of Registration and Superintendent of Elections, pleaded guilty to third-degree charges of absentee ballot fraud and tampering with public records or information. Narvaez was sentenced to a three-year prison term. --- Source
Illinois -- 2010
William Brown, of Cahokia, pleaded guilty to 22 charges related to election fraud after he worked with candidates for the Cahokia village board to rig their 2009 municipal election. Brown helped to apply for fraudulent absentee ballots and submit votes using those ballots. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail, two years probation, and 200 hours of community service. -- Source
Illinois -- 2010
Anish Eapen, a city streets and sanitation superintendent in Chicago's 50th ward, pleaded guilty to absentee ballot violations. He approached residents of his ward while showing them his town badge, offered to help them cast absentee ballots, and filled out some of their ballots himself while working for an alderman candidate. Eapen was sentenced to 364 days in Cook County jail. -- Source
Illinois -- 2010
Kyle R. Johnson, a former Cahokia village trustee, falsified absentee ballot applications and illegally cast the ballots he obtained during a municipal election. He received five years' probation, 14 days in jail, and 200 hours of community service. -- Source
Illinois -- 2010
Armando Ramos, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to absentee ballot violations in 2010. He had approached residents, offered to help them vote absentee, and in some cases filled out ballots for them during a 2007 election in which he was working for an alderman candidate. He was sentenced to 270 days in Cook County jail. -- Source
Illinois -- 2010
In the 2009 Cahokia municipal election, former village trustee Trevon L. Tompkin falsified absentee ballot applications and illegally voted the ballots he obtained. He received five years' probation, 14 days in jail, and 200 hours of community service. -- Source
Illinois -- 2010
Kevin Wiggins, of Cahokia, pleaded guilty to 43 charges against him in a voter fraud scheme in Cahokia's 2009 municipal election. Wiggins, along with candidates for the village board, filed fraudulent applications for absentee ballots and subsequently voted using those ballots. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail, two years of probation, and 200 hours of community service. -- Source
Georgia -- 2010
Carleton Vines and his accomplices ran an absentee ballot fraud operation designed to rig the 2006 election in which Vines won election as a state court judge. Vines's co-conspirators acted as "runners," illegally "assisting" voters in filling out their absentee ballots. In many cases, ballots were transported by the conspirators to Vines's law office before being subsequently mailed. The group signed a consent decree with the state board of election, acknowledging their actions and accepting a public reprimand. Vines was fined $15,000. -- Source
Georgia -- 2010
Tommy Raney, a 2007 candidate for the Jackson City Council, and his campaign worker, Debra Brown, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit absentee ballot fraud for mishandling more than 40 absentee ballots in the 2007 Jackson City Council race. Raney had won the election by 27 votes. Both were sentenced to two years' probation. Raney was fined $158,000, and Brown was fined $20,000. -- Source
Alabama -- 2010
Ms. Berry pleaded guilty and received a two-year suspended sentence. The former Pike County Commissioner narrowly won--and then lost--her 2008 reelection bid when 10 absentee ballots were found to have been fraudulently cast in the election. Ms. Berry was charged with mailing an illegal absentee ballot. -- Source
Pennsylvania -- 2010
David Patrick Duffy, of Doylestown, pleaded guilty to forgery, record tampering, and making an unsworn falsification to authorities in relation to falsified voter registrations. He forged numerous individuals' signatures on fraudulent voter registrations. Duffy was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay court costs. -- Source
Alabama -- 2010
Gay Nell Tinker, a former circuit clerk for Hale County, pleaded guilty to multiple counts of absentee ballot fraud after her scheme to orchestrate fraudulent absentee ballots for the benefit of multiple candidates was uncovered. She admitted to falsifying the ballots of five voters to benefit certain candidates, including her brother, Circuit Court Judge Marvin Wiggins, and her husband, Senator Bobby Singleton (D_Greensboro). -- Source
Washington -- 2010
Janice Waters, of Marysville, was convicted of illegal registration in the wrong county, absentee ballot fraud, and illegal double voting in the 2008 general election. Waters submitted a ballot for her son, who was a convicted felon and ineligible to vote. Upon questioning, Waters told the County Sheriff's Office she did not submit her son's ballot and suspected her mail had been intercepted or misdirected. Forensic scientists analyzed Waters' signature with the signature on her son's absentee ballot and concluded she had submitted the form. Waters was sentenced to 20 days in jail; the sentence was later converted to 160 hours of community service. -- Source
Wisconsin -- 2010
Irving Anders of Prairie Du Chien pleaded guilty to a charge of absentee ballot fraud. He was ordered to pay a court assessment of $883. -- Source
Wisconsin -- 2010
The Wisconsin couple was convicted of voting twice, with each casting absentee ballots in elections in the town of Wyocena, where they owned a cabin, before later voting in the city of Blooming Grove. The victor in the Wyocena trustee's race--who also happened to be the Kwiatkowskis' preferred candidate--won by a two-vote margin, prompting the judge to declare that the couple's fraud swung the election. Mr. Kwiatkowski was fined $2,000 and his wife received a $1,500 fine. -- Source
Wisconsin -- 2009
Stephen Wroblewski pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of Providing False Information to Obtain an Absentee Ballot. Wroblewski illegally procured a ballot in order to vote in the 2008 election in the name of his wife, a Democrat activist who had recently passed away. He was given a $500 fine. -- Source
Washington -- 2009
Susan Risenhoover pleaded guilty to forging the signature of her son (who had moved to Texas) on an absentee ballot and then submitting it in connection with the 2008 election. She was sentenced to 40 hours of community service. -- Source
Alabama -- 2009
Valada Paige Banks and Rosie Lyles pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of a forged affidavit of an absentee ballot with intent to defraud. They both received 12-month suspended sentences and two years of probation and were ordered to pay court fees. -- Source
Mississippi -- 2009
Jerry Kennamore, a 2009 New Albany mayoral candidate, pleaded guilty to forging the name of his daughter as an attesting witness on an absentee ballot during the May 2009 Democratic primary. Kennamore's plea was held in abeyance pending completion of five years of unsupervised probation and payment of a $1,000 fine plus court costs. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2009
In 2009, Lillian Cummings Stevenson agreed to a consent order after the State Elections Enforcement Commission found her guilty of illegally signing and submitting two absentee ballot request forms on behalf of her sons, who were living in Europe. She was given a $200 fine. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2009
Rocio Rivera and Edwin Cruz were indicted for tampering with ballots and fraudulently submitting ballots in favor of New Jersey Senator Teresa Ruiz. They and a fellow co-conspirator obtained messenger ballots from the county clerk and submitted them to the board of elections as votes on behalf of voters who, in fact, never received or filled out their ballots. John Fernandez was convicted of conspiracy (2nd degree), election fraud (2nd degree), absentee ballot fraud (3rd degree), tampering with public records or information (3rd degree), and forgery (4th degree). Cruz pleaded guilty to third-degree tampering with public records or information, and Rivera pleaded guilty to third-degree absentee ballot fraud. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2009
Samuel Gonzalez was indicted for tampering with ballots and fraudulently submitting ballots in favor of New Jersey Senator Teresa Ruiz. He and his co-conspirators obtained messenger ballots from the county clerk and submitted them to the board of elections as votes on behalf of voters who, in fact, never received or filled out their ballots. Gonzalez agreed to forfeit his seat on the freeholder board and his job as an aide to a Newark city councilman, and was admitted into the Pre-Trial Intervention Program. -- Source
New Jersey -- 2009
Former Roselle Borough Council President Jamel Holley was charged with absentee ballot fraud for filling out and submitting more than 20 ballots in the 2006 election. The judge permitted Holley to enter into a pretrial intervention program for one year (if successfully completed, the charges would be dismissed) and to pay a $125 fine. Holley has since been elected mayor of Roselle and appointed to the New Jersey General Assembly. -- Source
New Mexico -- 2009
Teresa Monahan, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, pleaded guilty to voter fraud in a referendum election for casting her own vote and then seeking to vote by an absentee ballot for her deceased brother. She was convicted of a fourth-degree felony and entered into a diversion program that stipulates if she complies with the terms of her probation, the charge will be erased from her record. She was sentenced to between nine and 18 months on probation. -- Source
Ohio -- 2009
Michele Finney, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to voter fraud in the 2008 election. Finney had signed her son's absentee ballot and voted herself. She was sentenced to 180 days' imprisonment, which would be suspended if she paid the $1000 fine within three months. -- Source
Ohio -- 2009
Cathy LaMaster pleaded guilty to attempted false election registration. She filled out an absentee ballot for herself in Franklin County, and filled another out for her daughter in Guernsey County, where she goes to school. LaMaster was fined $1,000 and sentenced to one year on probation with a suspended six-month jail sentence. -- Source
Indiana -- 2008
Ponciano Herrera, a Lake County police officer, pleaded guilty to handling a forged absentee ballot in the 2003 East Chicago Democratic mayoral primary election. Herrera was sentenced to 90 days of probation. Fraud in this 2003 mayoral primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election that resulted in a different winner. -- Source
Indiana -- 2008
Ronald DeCastro, an East Chicago police officer, pleaded guilty to a charge of voter fraud in connection with his misconduct during the 2003 East Chicago Democratic mayoral primary election. He did not live in East Chicago, so he used the address of his uncle in order to cast an absentee ballot in the election. DeCastro received a 60-day suspended jail sentence and was sentenced to 60 days of probation. Fraud in this 2003 mayoral primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election that resulted in a different winner. -- Source
Indiana -- 2008
Terrance Lay, a city council candidate in the 2003 East Chicago Democratic primary, pleaded guilty to procuring and handling an absentee ballot for his brother-in-law in violation of state law that forbids anyone other than the voter or a close relative from handling absentee ballots. Lay was the last of the 46 people convicted by the Joint Vote Fraud Task Force formed in the wake of the 2003 East Chicago Democratic primary. Fraud in this 2003 primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election for the mayoral primary that resulted in a different winner. -- Source
Minnesota -- 2008
Kristy Dettle from Fridley, Minnesota was charged with voting more than once in the same election, making or signing a false certificate, and making a false or untrue statement on an absentee ballot application. She pleaded guilty to voting more than once, and the other charges were dismissed. She was sentenced to one year of probation and a fine of $1,000. -- Source
Missouri -- 2008
Joel Neal, of St. Louis, Missouri, voted twice in the 2008 primary election: once in person for himself, and once via absentee ballot in the name of his deceased mother. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one month of home confinement and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine. -- Source
South Carolina -- 2008
Mayor Christopher Campbell was convicted of voter fraud, forgery, and official misconduct. Campbell filled out 16 absentee ballots, then found and persuaded voters who had not made it to the polls to cast them in their own names. Campbell was sentenced to 18 months in prison. -- Source
Washington -- 2008
Todd Stuart McGuire, of Port Townsend, was ordered to participate in a diversion program that includes five years of supervision. McGuire cast a ballot in his wife's name in a 2007 special election. He agreed to an order that "facts sufficient for a guilty" finding existed in his case. McGuire was barred from voting during the five-year supervision period. -- Source
Virginia -- 2007
Former Appalachia mayor Ben Cooper and 14 others were convicted of voter fraud after conspiring to manipulate the 2004 elections in his town by buying the votes of residents, offering them cigarettes, beer, and pork rinds. He and his supporters also stole absentee ballots from the mail. This was the largest voter fraud conspiracy to date in Virginia. Cooper was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the term was suspended after he served two years in jail and another two years in electronic home monitoring detention. Most of the other 14 defendants received suspended sentences or house arrest. -- Source
Michigan -- 2007
Following a jury trial, Reverend Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor was found guilty of possessing other individuals' absentee ballots and buying votes in a 2005 runoff election. At a local soup kitchen, Pinkney would pay $5 to each poor or homeless person who would fill out an absentee ballot. -- Source
Indiana -- 2007
Allan "Twig" Simmons, an operative for the Chicago mayor's campaign, was charged with three counts of attempted obstruction of justice and six counts of ballot fraud after persuading individuals to let him fill out their absentee ballots in exchange for jobs. He pleaded guilty to three counts of fraudulent application, showing, examination, receipt or delivery of ballots. He was sentenced to 3 years' probation and 100 hours of community service. Fraud in the 2003 East Chicago mayoral primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election for the mayoral race that resulted in a different winner. -- Source
Indiana -- 2007
Tonya Griffin-Bronaugh, the sister of Terrance Lay, pleaded guilty to filling out and signing an application for an absentee ballot in the name of her former husband without his knowledge in connection with the 2003 East Chicago Democratic primary. Her brother was a city council candidate in that election. Griffin-Bronaugh was sentenced to 18 months of probation. Fraud in this 2003 mayoral primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election for the mayoral race that resulted in a different winner. -- Source
Georgia -- 2007
James Bryant, Jr. admitted to improperly assisting voters in completing their absentee ballots in the 2005 Americus mayoral election. Bryant was a candidate in that election, and on at least six occasions, he helped voters fill out information on their ballot mailers without signing the requisite oath indicating he had provided the assistance. He was ordered by the State Election Board to pay a $600 fine. -- Source
Georgia -- 2007
Jerry Metts was investigated for helping illegal aliens cast absentee ballots in Atkinson County during a 2004 county commission election. He was fined $80,000 by the State Election Board. --Source: bit.ly/2f1yAXk
Mississippi -- 2007
In a civil case filed by the federal government, Ike Brown, former Chairman of the Noxubee County Democratic Executive Committee and Superintendent of Democratic Primary Elections, was found to have violated Section Two of the Voting Rights Act through racially motivated manipulation of ballots. Brown, who started chairing the Commission in 2000, obtained and improperly counted defective absentee ballots, and allowed for improper "assistance" of voters to ensure that white political candidates lost and black candidates won. He was permanently enjoined from engaging in such conduct in the future, and an independent administrator was appointed to ensure compliance. -- Source
Mississippi -- 2007
Martha Gardner pleaded guilty to one count of voter fraud in connection with absentee ballot misconduct during the 2005 Houston mayoral Democratic primary. Witnesses alleged that Gardner had come to them with absentee ballots they did not request and marked the ballots for them. Gardner was initially indicted on 37 counts of voter fraud. A judge imposed a five-year suspended sentence and put Gardner on 30 months of probation. Gardner was also ordered to pay $391.50 in court costs, $100 of which would go to the Crime Victim's Compensation Fund. -- Source
Wisconsin -- 2007
Kimberly Prude, a campaign volunteer for the Kerry_Edwards campaign, was convicted of illegally casting an absentee ballot in the 2004 election. She was already a convicted felon for forgery charges in 2000. Her probation was revoked and she is now serving her sentence in prison. -- Source
Colorado -- 2006
Winston Keyes, of Denver, Colorado, pleaded guilty to voting twice in the 2005 general election. He forged his mother's signature on her absentee ballot, despite the fact that his mother had died in July of that year. He was sentenced to one year of probation and was ordered to pay court costs. -- Source
Indiana -- 2006
Eduardo Perez, Sr., pleaded guilty to fraudulently receiving an absentee ballot in connection to the 2003 East Chicago mayoral Democrat primary. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation. Fraud in this 2003 mayoral primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election that resulted in a different winner. -- Source
Washington -- 2006
Balogh was found guilty of making false or misleading statements to a public servant, as well as absentee ballot fraud and registration fraud. In 2006, Balogh registered her dog, Duncan, to vote under her address and telephone number and successfully completed and mailed an absentee ballot for him. Balogh claimed she was drawing attention to flaws in the absentee ballot system. She received a one-year deferred sentence, and was ordered to perform 10 hours of community service and pay court fees of $240. -- Source
Washington -- 2005
Doris McFarland's husband passed away before he could vote in the 2004 election, and Mrs. McFarland decided to cast his absentee ballot. She later admitted to double voting in that year's election but avoided jail time. She was ordered to pay court fees and a $490 fine. -- Source
Washington -- 2005
Robert Victor Holmgren cast a ballot for his recently-deceased wife in the 2004 general election. He pleaded guilty to voting twice in an election and was ordered to pay $490 in fines and court fees. -- Source
Connecticut – 2005
Prenzina Holloway, of Hartford, Connecticut, voted using another voter's absentee ballot in the 2004 Democratic primary. She was ordered to pay a civil penalty to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission in the amount of $10,000, but she was only required to pay $2,000 because of financial hardship. Ironically, she was later hired by the Hartford Democratic registrar of voters to work in connection with a 2009 municipal election. -- Source
Alabama -- 2005
The Birmingham Office of the U.S. Attorney and the Alabama Attorney General conducted an extensive joint investigation of absentee ballot fraud allegations in Greene County in the November 1994 election. By the end of the investigation, nine defendants pleaded guilty to voter fraud and two others were found guilty by a jury. The defendants included Greene County commissioners, officials, and employees; a racing commissioner; a member of the board of education; a Eutaw city councilman; and other community leaders. The conspiracy included using an assembly line to mass produce forged absentee ballots meant to swing elections in favor of preferred candidates. -- Source
Illinois -- 2004
A former election judge, Leander Brooks, pleaded guilty to election fraud in the 2002 election. He forged signatures of three dead people on absentee ballot applications. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and a $400 fine. -- Source
Illinois -- 2004
Patricia Deganutti was found guilty of violating Illinois absentee ballot law by "unlawful observation of voting." While serving as a precinct captain in Cicero, Illinois, she visited a voter's home and persuaded him to apply for an absentee ballot, then returned and told him how to fill it out, and left with the completed ballot. She was sentenced to 18 months' probation. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2003
Eva Corrigan admitted to failing to co-sign the absentee ballots of those she assisted. She was ordered by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission to pay a $100 civil penalty. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2003
Former state representative Barnaby Horton was charged with absentee ballot fraud after he was caught inducing elderly residents to cast absentee ballots for him. After a lengthy court battle, he pleaded guilty to felony charges of ballot fraud and agreed to pay a $10,000 fine, one of the largest fines ever imposed by the State Elections Enforcement Commission. A Superior Court judge sentenced Horton to two years' probation and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service. -- Source
Indiana -- 2003
Michelle Chandler, a worker in the city controller's office, was charged with a fraudulent receipt of ballot, voting outside of her district, and perjury in connection to misconduct during the 2003 East Chicago Democratic mayoral primary. She was found guilty of one count of perjury in a jury trial, a felony, and given one year of probation. Fraud in this 2003 mayoral primary was widespread, and the Indiana Supreme Court ultimately overturned the election results and ordered a special election that resulted in a different winner. -- Source
Alabama -- 2002
Nathaniel Gosha was convicted of 25 counts (nine felony counts of falsifying ballots and 16 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument) of voter fraud for offering to sell absentee votes in Russell County. Another Russell County resident, Lizzie Mae Perry, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of falsifying absentee ballots and two misdemeanor counts of disclosing votes. Gosha was sentenced to 180 days in jail, 4.5 years of probation, and $2,600 in court fines. Perry was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 18 months' probation. -- Source
Arkansas -- 2002
Larry Gray was charged with illegally casting more than 25 absentee ballots in other people's names during the 2002 primary, but the sum total of his election fraud may have been much higher. The former sanitation director for the city applied for hundreds of ballots, successfully submitting 98 in the Democratic primary. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Gray was likely not the only one running this type of scheme. After pleading guilty, Gray received two years' probation. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2002
Hector Riellano admitted to failing to acknowledge assisting someone with the filing of their absentee ballot. He was fined $350 by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2001
Sybil Allen, while serving as a Democrat on the Bridgeport Town Committee, engaged in a range of absentee ballot-related fraud. Allen completed ballot applications in the name of residents, forged signatures, and on at least one occasion got a voter to forge a ballot registration form for a family member who no longer lived in the community. Allen also told one voter that a candidate was not on the ballot and watched voters fill out their ballots before taking possession of them. Allen eventually agreed to pay a civil fine of $5,000 and was barred from running for re-election for two years. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2001
Warren Blunt, a city councilman in Bridgeport, pleaded guilty to being present while people cast their absentee ballots and subsequently taking those ballots while running for re-election in the town's Democratic primary. The State of Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission fined Blunt $2,500 and required him to resign from the town committee. He was also barred from running for elected office again for two years. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2001
As part of a "get out the vote" campaign leading up to the 2000 election, Ronald Caveness admitted to distributing absentee ballots, being present while people filled them out, and then collecting them. After an investigation by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission, he agreed to resign from the Democratic Town Committee, not seeking re-election for two years, and pay a fine of $4,000, which was eventually reduced to $1,000. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2001
Paulette Park, while working for a candidate for Bridgeport's 2000 Democratic Town Committee primary election, illegally persuaded voters to list false reasons for requesting absentee ballots, assisted them in applying for absentee ballots, and took possession of the absentee ballots after watching voters fill them out. The State of Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission fined her $5,000 and banned her from working on future campaigns. -- Source
Wyoming -- 2001
After moving from their Evansville home, Gary and Leila Blake requested absentee ballots. The ballots were returned with Evansville offices and ballot issues, which the couple filled out and returned despite no longer living there. The couple pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge. Each must pay $350 in fines and serve six months on probation. -- Source
Connecticut -- 2000
George Cabrera, Jr., entered into a settlement with the State of Connecticut Election Enforcement Commission. Cabrera admitted to observing a resident fill out an absentee ballot before taking possession of that ballot during the Democratic primary for town council. Cabrera agreed to pay a $750 fine. -- Source
Florida -- 2000
Hialeah Gardens Mayor Gilda Oliveros was convicted of six charges that ranged from voter fraud to asking two of her former employees to murder her then-husband so she could cash in on a $45,000 life insurance policy. She was sentenced to 4.8 years in state prison, but was released on a $100,000 bond to appeal her sentence. -- Source
Alabama -- 2000
Melvin Lightning pleaded guilty to illegal absentee voting. Along with Evans, Lightning forged absentee ballot request forms in the name of other voters. Upon receiving the ballots, the pair took them to the named voters and obtained their signatures on the ballot envelope without telling the voters that they were signing an actual ballot. Lightning then completed and cast the ballots himself. He received a 12-month prison sentence, which was suspended in favor of 12 months' probation. His accomplice, Evans, was convicted in 1998 on seven counts of illegal absentee voting. He got a 10-year prison sentence, eight of which were suspended. -- Source
Ohio -- 2000
Jon Saylor ordered absentee ballots sent to the home of a friend, and then filled them out as votes for himself. After winning the seat of the 1st Ward councilman in Fairfield, Ohio, the election results were called into question and an investigation was opened. Saylor was convicted of 29 counts of false registrations, one count of inducing illegal voting, 12 counts of absentee voter's ballot violation, 14 counts of illegal voting, one count of election falsification, and one count of interference with the conduct of an election. He was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment. -- Source
Alabama -- 2000
An absentee-ballot buying operation was uncovered in Winston County, Alabama, that led to the conviction of the sheriff, circuit clerk, a district judge, and several candidates for county commission and the board of education. The conspirators set out to buy absentee ballots in the 2000 Republican primary with bribes of cash, beer, and liquor. Judge Richardson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to report campaign expenditures; the others pleaded guilty to felony charges stemming from the operation. Bailey was sentenced to three years' probation, plus a $1,000 fine and 250 hours of community service. Neal got three years' probation, a $2,500 fine, and 250 hours' community service. Ingram was ordered to serve a year in prison and pay a $1,000 fine. Emerson got two years' probation. Judge Richardson resigned, and received a suspended six-month prison sentence, one-year probation, and a $1,000 fine. -- Source
Oregon -- 2000
Terri Kobialka was a University of Oregon student during the 2000 election when she filled out a ballot mailed to her apartment in the name of a former tenant. Kobialka pleaded guilty to falsely signing a ballot, a Class C felony. She was sentenced to 18 months of probation, ordered to complete 120 hours of community service, and fined $500. -- Source
Pennsylvania -- 1999
Former Congressman Austin Murphy was convicted on one charge of absentee ballot fraud. Murphy forged ballots for senior citizens living in a nursing home, claiming merely to be assisting them in exercising their voting rights. He was sentenced to six months of probation and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service. -- Source
Florida -- 1998
Humberto Hernandez was convicted of being an accessory to covering up fraud and removed from office after it was discovered that hundreds of fraudulent absentee ballots were cast in his favor. He was sentenced to a one-year prison term. -- Source
Georgia -- 1998
The Georgia State Election Board sanctioned Jackie Bailey, along with four others, in regard to her illegal possession of 107 absentee ballots in the June 1998 Democratic Primary Election for Coffee County Commissioner. She was fined $1,000. Secretary of State Cathy Cox indicated that the fines for possession of absentee ballots were equal to the most severe penalties ever ordered by the board for violations of the election code. The Board referred the case to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Richard E. Currie as a potential criminal case. -- Source
Georgia – 1998
The Georgia State Election Board sanctioned Gloria Davis, along with four others, in regard to her illegal possession of 107 absentee ballots in the June 1998 Democratic Primary Election for Coffee County Commissioner. She was fined $1,000. Secretary of State Cathy Cox indicated that the fines for possession of absentee ballots were equal to the most severe penalties ever ordered by the board for violations of the election code. The Board referred the case to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Richard E. Currie as a potential criminal case. -- Source
Georgia -- 1998
The Georgia State Election Board sanctioned Doris Gaskins, along with four others, in regard to her illegal possession of 107 absentee ballots in the June 1998 Democratic Primary Election for Coffee County Commissioner. She was fined $1,000. Secretary of State Cathy Cox indicated that the fines for possession of absentee ballots were equal to the most severe penalties ever ordered by the board for violations of the election code. The Board referred the case to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Richard E. Currie as a potential criminal case. -- Source
Georgia -- 1998
The Georgia State Election Board sanctioned Rudene McNeair, along with four others, in regard to her illegal possession of 107 absentee ballots in the June 1998 Democratic Primary Election for Coffee County Commissioner. She was fined $1,000. Secretary of State Cathy Cox indicated that the fines for possession of absentee ballots were equal to the most severe penalties ever ordered by the board for violations of the election code. The Board referred the case to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Richard E. Currie as a potential criminal case. -- Source
Georgia -- 1998
The Georgia State Election Board sanctioned Betty Stewart, along with four others, in regard to her illegal possession of 107 absentee ballots in the June 1998 Democratic Primary Election for Coffee County Commissioner. She was fined $1,000. Secretary of State Cathy Cox indicated that the fines for possession of absentee ballots were equal to the most severe penalties ever ordered by the board for violations of the election code. The Board referred the case to the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Richard E. Currie as a potential criminal case. -- Source
New Mexico -- 1998
Gillian Yingling and 18 others, of Rio Arriba County, including several local officials, were arrested on election-fraud charges, including ineligible absentee voting and false statements on absentee ballots. Yingling pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor voter fraud charge, receiving 364 days' supervised probation. -- Source
Connecticut -- 1997
Liz Diaz, a former 4th District town committee member in Hartford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit election fraud and to witness tampering after she registered ineligible voters to receive absentee ballots and intimidated a witness to lie about her reason for requesting an absentee ballot in a court hearing regarding the 1996 Democratic town committee election. She was sentenced to two months in jail. -- Source
Connecticut -- 1997
Virgen Figueroa, a former town committee member from Hartford, pleaded guilty to absentee ballot fraud and forgery. In a plot with several other individuals to elect Democrat candidates for town committee in the 1996 election, Figueroa registered ineligible voters to receive absentee ballots and helped them to mark their ballots. She was sentenced to two months in jail. -- Source
Connecticut -- 1996
Edwin E. Garcia, a former lawmaker and Hartford Police Sergeant, pleaded no contest to three felony counts of absentee ballot fraud, tampering with a witness, and accepting an illegal campaign contribution. Garcia and his campaign workers systematically registered hundreds of young voters and furnished many with absentee ballots that they neither qualified for nor understood. He received a sentence of one year of house arrest.-- Source
Connecticut – 1994
Jacqueline Rogers was a campaign worker for James Holloway, a candidate for City Council. In the 1993 primary, she was paid $150 to dress up in a nurse's uniform with a certified nurse nametag and solicit "emergency" absentee ballots from patients. She instructed at least one voter to cast her ballot for Holloway. The primary was ultimately decided in Holloway's favor by just nine votes. The Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission barred her from participating in political campaigns for five years. -- Source
Mississippi -- 1993
Calvin McFarland, an incumbent running for re-election to the Wilkinson County Board of Supervisors, was convicted on two counts relating to illegally signing absentee ballots. McFarland, a Democrat, lost in the primary, and after a lengthy series of runoffs and challenges, was indicted along with 13 other then-current and former county officials. McFarland was charged with six counts of falsely signing names to ballots, and was convicted of two. One of them charged McFarland with signing a ballot in the name of 'Lottie James,' and then falsely attesting that James' signature was valid. For each charge, McFarland was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. One of the prison sentences was suspended. -- Source
Mississippi – 1993
Sandra Sewell was convicted on voter fraud charges stemming from her 1991 efforts to help Calvin McFarland fraudulently win re-election for a seat on the Wilkinson County Board of Supervisors. Sewell notarized fraudulent absentee ballots in the race. Sewell was convicted on eight counts related to the fraud and ordered to serve five years in prison and pay a $2,000 fine. Sewell, an attorney, was also disbarred. -- Source
Connecticut -- 1991
Curtis Mouning, a campaign volunteer for State Representative Mario Testa during the 1990 election, admitted to signing the names of five of his friends and family members to request absentee ballots to vote in the primary. He was ordered to pay a civil penalty to the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission in the amount of $500. -- Source
Connecticut -- 1988
Ernest Newton, a former state senator, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1,000 for assisting in filling out someone else's absentee ballot. Newton illegally filled out and mailed an absentee ballot for Ada Crosby. The fraud occurred in the 1988 primary while Newton was a state senate candidate in the 124th District. Following his election, he was imprisoned after accepting a bribe, using campaign contributions for personal expenses, and failing to report improper income on his federal tax return. In 2015, Newton was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for campaign finance violations stemming from having three campaign workers fraudulently sign donation cards in order for the campaign to reach the threshold to qualify for state matching funds. -- Source
Most Recent Ground-Game Editions of Houston Business Connections Newspaper© to Help You Identify the 2020 Nominees Who Value Our Vote!
Key 2020 Democratic and Republican Nominees You Should Get to Know if You Live in Harris County, Texas
.
THE PUBLISHER
Aubrey R. Taylor is the President/CEO of Aubrey R. Taylor Communications, the publisher of Houston Business Connections Newspaper©. Taylor has more than 29-years of experience in marketing, branding, investigative reporting, public relations, opposition research, and political consulting. A master at his craft, he’s assisted in branding Republican and Democratic candidates in statewide elections and in local municipalities throughout the State of Texas. Over the years, he’s also assisted in branding and marketing (through his various publications) such corporations and institutions as Shell Oil, The City of Houston, Texas A&M, Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University, Chevron, Shell Oil, Waste Management, Nationwide Insurance, Momentum Jaguar/BMW, Channel 11, Channel 13, State Farm Insurance, and Allstate Insurance to name a few.
AUBREY R. TAYLOR COMMUNICATIONS
957 NASA PARKWAY #251
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-3039
PHONE: (832)212-8735
CELL: (281)788-3033
