From allegations of “fraud” to lost and uncounted ballots, the integrity of Arizona’s elections has been put in question in recent months. Adding fuel to the fire, on Monday a southern Arizona woman was sentenced for illegally casting a ballot for her deceased mother during the 2020 election.
According to the Epoch Times, Krista Michelle Conner, 56, of Cochise County was found guilty of illegally casting a ballot. Court documents show that the Arizona Attorney General’s Office alleged that Conner illegally signed her deceased mother’s early ballot envelope, casting a vote on her behalf.
Conner received three years of supervised probation and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and told to pay $890 in fines and surcharges.
The indictment read:
“Said conduct occurred when KRISTA MICHELLE CONNER, knowingly signed the name of Caroline Jeanne Sullivan to a declaration under penalty of perjury located on November 3, 2020, General Election early ballot envelope for deceased elector Caroline Jeanne Sullivan.”
Authorities noted that Krista’s mother, Caroline Jeanne Sullivan died on Sept. 7, 2020, more than two months before the November 2020 elections.
The Times report noted that Conner was indicted several months ago and pleaded guilty to one count of attempted illegal voting.
Authorities did not indicate whether Conner was registered as a Democrat or Republican, but the overwhelming number of voting fraud cases to date have involved voting for candidates with ties to the DNC.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office Election Integrity Unit oversees the election process and investigates irregularities. The Times report noted that Assistant Attorney General Todd Lawson prosecuted Conner’s case.
Conner’s conviction follows the April conviction of a Scottsdale woman who voted for her deceased mother in the November 2020 elections.
Arizona state law stipulates that power of attorney does not grant the right to cast a ballot for another person.
Mark Brnovich, the State Attorney General, recently commented on the matter:
“It is illegal to use power of attorney as a basis for any person to conduct any procedure or transaction concerning elections, including voter registration, petition circulation or signature, voter registration cancellation, early ballot requests or voting another person’s ballot.”
According to Brnovich, a Republican running for Arizona’s Senate seat in the 2022 elections, there are “serious vulnerabilities that must be addressed and raises questions about the 2020 election in Arizona.”
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