By JOHN HANNA

A northern Minnesota woman accused of trying to send a mail ballot for her recently deceased mother has been charged with three felonies; This shows how routine election safeguards prevent rare attempts at voter fraud.

Officials in Itasca County, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) north of Minneapolis, said Monday that the improper voting was caught because the state submitted a monthly list of deceased people to election officials and then marked those names on the state’s ballot box. registration database. The woman returned ballots for herself and her mother in early October, and the county auditor’s office, which oversees local elections, quickly confirmed that the mother died in late August, almost three weeks before they began mailing absentee ballots.

The criminal case was filed last week in Grand Rapids state district court against former President Donald Trump. He continued to suggest He will only lose the November 5 elections if his political opponents cheat. No evidence of significant voter fraud found In the 2020 elections, Trump lost it, and there is no evidence that Trump’s enemies 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’s death, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in district court. The statement stated that the woman was an “ardent” Trump supporter who wanted to vote for Trump before he died.

Itasca County District Attorney Jake Fauchald said the case shows election officials can detect problems and that even rural counties have the resources and willingness to investigate election fraud. Itasca County has approximately 45,000 residents.

“It was flagged almost immediately,” Fauchald said. “There are ways to catch and flag these fraudulent ballots, and we’re going to do something about it to make sure these ballots don’t pass.”

The woman’s first hearing will be held on December 4. The woman, who is accused of one count of voting illegally and two counts of preparing or signing a false document, is accused of forging her mother’s signature both on the ballot and as a witness. on your own. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

While it is not clear whether the woman has a lawyer, 10 phone numbers on the internet are out of service. He did not immediately respond to a Facebook message seeking comment Monday.

Fauchald said this is the county’s first case of voter fraud during the current election cycle.