A Minnesota woman is accused of turning in a ballot for her dead mother. A routine check revealed this

JOHN HANNA

A northern Minnesota woman accused of trying to mail in a ballot for her recently deceased mother has been charged with three felonies, showing how normal election protections prevent rare instances of attempted voter fraud.

Officials in Itasca County, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of Minneapolis, said Monday that the improper vote was discovered because the state provides a monthly list of deceased people to election officials, who then mark those names on the state’s voter rolls. registration database. The woman returned ballots for herself and her mother in early October, and the county auditor’s office that oversees local elections quickly determined that the mother died in late August, nearly three weeks before absentee ballots began mailing out.

The criminal case was filed last week in state District Court in Grand Rapids by former President Donald Trump. continued to suggest he will lose the November 5 election only if his political opponents cheat. There was no evidence of serious voter fraud. in the 2020 elections, which Trump lost, and there is no evidence that Trump’s opponents can or will rig this year’s election.

The woman told a sheriff’s lieutenant in an interview that she filled out her mother’s ballot after her mother died, according to a probable cause statement filed in district court. The statement said the woman was an “ardent” Trump supporter and wanted to vote for him before her death.

Itasca County Prosecutor Jake Fauchald said the case shows that election officials can spot problems and even rural counties have the resources and will to prosecute election fraud. Itasca County has approximately 45,000 residents.

“It was noted almost immediately,” Fauchald said. “We have ways to catch and flag these fraudulent ballots, and we’re going to do something about it to make sure those ballots don’t get through.”

The woman’s first court appearance is scheduled for December 4. She is charged with one count of illegal voting and two counts of making or signing a false ID and is accused of forging her mother’s signature both on her mother’s ballot envelope and as a witness. by itself. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

It is unclear whether the woman has a lawyer, and her 10 phone numbers are not in service online. She did not immediately respond to a Facebook message seeking comment Monday.

Fauchald said this is the first instance of voter fraud in the county during the current election cycle.