An investigation into an alleged voter fraud incident in the General Election in Starke County will not result in any charges.
Starke County Prosecutor Leslie Baker explained the circumstances surrounding the investigation during Wednesday morning’s Starke County Election Board meeting. She said a man recently moved to Koontz Lake but was not registered to vote in Starke County. He mistakenly cast a ballot under his son’s registration as they essentially share the same name. The middle initial is the only difference. Baker said the voter did not realize that it was not his name he signed and it was simply an oversight.
The issue was discovered when the son arrived to vote. He was then given a provisional ballot at the polling site in order to vote.
Starke County Clerk Bernadette Manuel said further investigation found that the father did not vote in any other county.
After reviewing all of the facts in the case, Baker said that while the ballot may have been fraudulent, it was accidental in nature with no involvement of criminal intent. No other action will be taken in the case from her office.
Baker noted that is important that residents check to make sure they are registered to vote in the county they live prior to arriving at the polls. Voter registration can be reviewed or updated at www.indianavoters.com.
