ITASCA COUNTY, Minn. – A 50-year-old Minnesota woman is facing voter fraud charges after signing her late mother’s signature on two absentee ballots.
On Oct. 9, the Itasca County Auditor contacted the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office about possible voter fraud involving two absentee ballots, the complaint said. The mood Envelopes are not opened, but marked for fraud based on the signature envelopes.
The ballots, which were received by the auditor’s office on October 7, were for the woman and her mother. The complaint, which cited Itasca County’s Minnesota Vital Statistics Death Report, said the mother died on August 31.
Each signature envelope contains two sections. One must be completed by the voter and the other by the witness.
The sheriff’s office compared the signature envelopes and found they were filled out the same way. Authorities then compared the signatures to the signature on the woman’s driver’s license and they appeared to match, according to the complaint.
On Oct. 11, the sheriff’s office spoke with the woman, who said she had filled out her mother’s ballot and signed her mother’s name on the signature envelope, the complaint said. The woman said her mother was an avid supporter of Donald Trump and had wanted to vote for him, but died before absentee ballots were received.
According to the complaint, the woman also said she filled out her own ballot and signed her mother’s signature as a witness.
She faces two charges of intentionally signing false certificates and one charge of casting an illegal vote or adding another.
