A Republican official in Ohio admitted to signing and submitting his dead father’s ballot for the 2020 presidential election.
Edward D. Snodgrass, a Porter Township trustee, said he was “sleep-deprived” when he forged the signature and “execute[d] a dying man’s wishes.” A month later, he cast his own vote.
Snodgrass’ father died the day before his absentee ballot arrived in the mail. An election worker questioned the signature and an investigation ensued.
The surviving Snodgrass is scheduled to enter a guilty plea next month to a charge of Falsification, for which he will spend three days in county jail and pay a $500 fine and court costs, according to NBC.
Unfounded charges of election fraud have been the backbone of Donald Trump’s post-presidential life; he insists rampant cheating cost him the election. Snodgrass declined to say who he voted for (twice), but his party registration suggests Trump actually benefitted from this rare instance of confirmed malfeasance.
Mediaite provides context:
Republicans in Snodgrass’ home state and nationwide have engaged in a campaign to expose a series of baseless conspiracy theories regarding Trump’s failed reelection bid; despite Republicans across the country picking up seats in federal and local elections. One such popular conspiracy was that “millions of dead people” voted, for, President Joe Biden.