Woman casts ballot for dead mom, ‘an avid Donald Trump supporter,’ Minnesota cops say

A woman accused of voter fraud in Minnesota signed and delivered two ballots, including one for her dead mother, authorities say.

The Itasca County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of the suspected fraud Oct. 9 by the county’s auditor’s office, according to a criminal complaint.

The auditor’s office received two ballots, one from 50-year-old Danielle Christine Miller and one from her mother, who died in August, the sheriff’s office said. The absentee ballots were not mailed to voters until September.

The mother’s ballot was signed with her own name and Miller’s name in the witness section, authorities said. On Miller’s ballot, her mother’s name was written in the witness section, deputies said.

The auditor’s office noticed the signatures were similar, leading to the investigation, court records show.

A sheriff’s office official spoke to Miller on Oct. 11, and she said she filled out her mom’s absentee ballot and signed her mother’s name on it, according to the complaint.

“(Miller) admitted her deceased mother was an avid Donald Trump supporter and had wanted to vote for Trump in this election but had passed shortly before the absentee ballots were received,” authorities said.

According to the sheriff’s office, each absentee voter must sign that they “certify that on Election Day (they) will meet all the legal requirements to vote.” The witness is also required to sign, certifying that the ballot was filled out by the voter.

Miller, of Nashwauk, was charged with two counts of absentee voting-intentionally making or signing a false certificate and one count of absentee voting-casting an illegal vote or aiding another, according to the court records.

The Heritage Foundation has a database of 1,561 proven instances of voter fraud over multiple decades.

But these voter fraud cases, which include fewer than 475 ineligible votes cast in 2020 in swing states, did not impact the most recent presidential election, The Associated Press reported.

Nashwauk is about a 195-mile drive north from Minneapolis.

This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Woman casts ballot for dead mom, ‘an avid Donald Trump supporter,’ Minnesota cops say."