The applications "appear to have been written by the same person,” Donnelly wrote, theorizing the person would apply for mail-in ballots. The deadline to request a ballot was Oct. 24.
Donnelly noted in his letter that the most serious potential violation was criminal use of personal identification, which would carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, for the 30 or more counts involved in this case.
In an Oct. 22 email, the State Attorney’s Office noted that only five of the 51 voters had actually been activated in the voter rolls, for the proposed sting operation. The office had been unable to determine who sent the applications.
At least 30 of the original 51 names were confirmed to be dead people, the email said. Without more personal information, the office couldn’t confirm whether the additional 21 were alive.
“We take any allegation of voter fraud very seriously because it affects our very democracy," Broward State Attorney Mike Satz said Friday. "Anyone who has information regarding any attempt to commit the crime of voter fraud should report it to the Broward Supervisor of Elections and the Broward State Attorney’s Office so it can be thoroughly investigated.”
Brittany Wallman can be reached at bwallman@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4541. Follow her on Twitter @BrittanyWallman