Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has initiated criminal prosecutions against two individuals based on information gathered by the voter accuracy organization ERIC, which identified them as having voted in two states during the same election. Raffensperger stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the voting process, stating that illegal voting undermines legal votes.
One of the defendants, 75-year-old William Burns of Texas, said he was incorrectly informed by an election worker that he could vote in both Georgia and Texas after purchasing a cabin in Georgia. Burns faces felony charges for false registration, voting by an unqualified elector, and repeat voting. The second accused individual is 69-year-old Randall Bassett Sr. of Georgia, who allegedly voted twice in different states during the same election.
While it is rare for individuals to attempt double-voting, Raffensperger referred 17 cases to prosecutors across nine counties. Investigations from the 2020 primary found fewer cases of double-voting than initially believed, with just five confirmed cases out of 395 suspected instances. Raffensperger previously suspected around 1,000 double-votes in the 2020 primary.
Raffensperger’s office typically refers only the most serious cases for criminal prosecution. In addition to the current cases, previous criminal allegations involving election-related offenses have surfaced over the years in Georgia, but few of them involved fraudulent votes. Going forward, Raffensperger and his team aim to ensure that all instances of illegal voting are identified and prosecuted to maintain the sanctity of the democratic process.
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