Washington County Investigates Voter Fraud, 11 Charged With Voting Illegally | Crime

A widespread voter fraud investigation has led to charges against 11 people in Washington County with prosecutors saying more charges were forthcoming.

All of the people charged are convicted felons who had not been cleared to vote, with most infractions occurring during the 2010 election.  But prosecutors said some charges went back as far as 2008.

Under Minnesota law, convicted felons can vote, but only after they’ve completed the terms of their supervised release. Most of the suspects when asked about the allegation pleaded ignorance.

“I didn’t know I couldn’t” said Asst. Washington Co. Attorney Rick Hodsdon, describing what was commonly heard when the suspects were confronted.

Hodsdon said all allegations of voter fraud have to be investigated under Minnesota law.

“It’s an effort to ensure the integrity of the election,” Hodsdon said.

The charges stem from complaints that came from the Washington County Election Division. More than 50 complaints were forwarded to the county attorney in January, prompting the investigation, Hodsdon said.

But the investigation is not easy.  The Washington County Attorney’s office does not have a budget for investigators, so the cases were then farmed out to local police departments where the infractions allegedly occurred.

Most of the charges come from Oakdale, Hodsdon said.  Stillwater Police confirmed Tuesday they were also involved in the investigation.

Hodsdon said two more people were being charged late Tuesday afternoon. And there were other cases still being investigated.  Investigators were also looking into allegations that the same person voted in both Wisconsin and Minnesota in the 2010 election.