No penalty for 3 who voted twice; officials cite confusion over delayed election

Miami County officials only counted the first ballots those voters submitted for Aug. 2 election

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

TROY — The Miami County Board of Elections won’t take action against three people who voted twice in the August special primary election, citing the likelihood of “multiple election confusion.”

The board in August voted to ask county prosecutors to investigate provisional ballots filed Election Day on Aug. 2 by three people who had already voted via absentee ballot at the elections office during the early voting period.

The original ballots cast by the three voters were included in the overall ballot count. The board was told of the second ballots cast by the three as it reviewed the provisional ballots at its meeting to conduct the final count and certify the Aug. 2 vote. The board voted to reject the duplicate ballots and to send the request to prosecutors.

Elections Director Laura Bruns told the board at its monthly meeting Wednesday that the prosecutors’ investigator talked with the three voters. The prosecutors’ recommendation was “to not take any kind of action. There was no voter fraud,” she said.

The board reviewed a written opinion provided by prosecutors, who Bruns said noted “a lot of confusion” about the special election that was held for primaries in the state senate, state house and state central committee seats. Those primaries were delayed from May due to redistricting legal challenges.

The board agreed to not act against the voters. The cause was “multiple election confusion,” said elections board Chairman Dave Fisher.

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