By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper.
Bernalillo County election workers kept a dead woman’s ballot from counting in 2024. Now her husband faces a federal charge for allegedly trying to cast it.
A federal grand jury indicted a 62-year-old Tijeras man on one count of fraudulent voting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced Oct. 9. Prosecutors say he submitted his deceased wife’s absentee ballot for the November 2024 general election to the County Clerk’s Bureau of Elections in Albuquerque.
The indictment, filed Oct. 6 in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, says the attempt happened Oct. 15 or 16, 2024. It identifies the voter only by her initials, L.P.
“Dead people can’t vote,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said in a statement. He warned that anyone who tries to vote for another person will get caught and prosecuted.
Prosecutors credited the Clerk’s Office with stopping the ballot before it could be counted. Bernalillo County Clerk Michelle Kavanaugh said her office spotted the irregularities and flagged them for the Bernalillo County District Attorney. The DA then referred the case to federal prosecutors.
“This case demonstrates the importance of the safeguards built into our election system,” Kavanaugh said.
The FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated. Federal agents arrested the man Friday. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
