Obama Supporter Voted 6 Times? Ohio Poll Worker Under Investigation
An Ohio poll worker is under investigation for fraud after openly admitting that she voted for Obama twice during the 2012 election and put in four additional votes as a favor.
Melowese Richardson, an avid Obama supporter, admits that she voted twice last year in fear that her first vote on an absentee ballot would not get counted.
"Yes, I voted twice," Richardson told WCPO-TV. "I, after registering thousands of people, certainly wanted my vote to count, so I voted. I voted at the polls."
Richardson placed the votes in Cincinnati, Ohio- one of the more crucial states to win during the election last year. And in addition to voting twice for herself, she has also confessed to placing at least two additional votes for others. The woman, who volunteered as a poll worker on election day, defended her actions by stating that she only placed the additional votes, one for her granddaughter through an absentee ballot, at the request of the voter.
"There was absolutely no intent on my part to commit any voter fraud," she told Fox News. Her granddaughter also confirmed to the station that she had given her grandmother permission to place a vote on her behalf."
"It wasn't a big deal," India Richardson told the news organization.
It is a big deal to some, however, who say that Richardson not only broke the law but also violated the trust of the democratic process.
"I'm outraged, and every voter, regardless of their political affiliation, should be outraged," said Hamilton County Board of Elections member Alex Triantafilou, who is also chairman of the county Republican Party. "It causes folks to have real doubts about the fabric of our very democratic process, and it's dangerous."
Two additional absentee ballots, received in the same handwriting and on the same day that Richardson's initial absentee ballot was received, have also come under question according to Fox. Officials believe that other, similar incidents may have occurred.
