A woman in south Florida was arrested Friday on charges of voting in both Florida and Alaska during the same election cycle and over the course of multiple years.
Cheryl Ann Leslie, a registered Democrat, was charged with felony fraud for voting in the 2020 federal and state primaries after voting in both Alaska and Florida. Investigators in the case revealed that they found a pattern of double voting leading them to believe that Leslie voted in both states in 2014, 2016, and 2018 as well. As a resident of Florida, Leslie voted in person while she requested an absentee ballot from Alaska.
Leslie works for a senior care facility in Loxahatchee, Florida and said that her work as a physician assistant required her to spend a lot of time traveling between multiple states. Presumably, it was that extra travel that forced her to request an absentee ballot, from a different state.
Secretary of State and Chief Election Officer Cord Byrd said, “The Florida Department of State, Office of Election Crimes and Security is grateful for our partnership with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This arrest is yet another confirmation to every eligible Florida voter that the Department of State and FDLE are working together to ensure the integrity of their vote and Florida’s elections process.”
Florida officials charge woman with felony fraud for voting in two states during multiple elections https://t.co/2uRFC71MpZ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 5, 2022
Florida’s Office of Election Crimes and Security first noticed the irregularity and then reported it to the election crime unit. The Election Crime and Security unit was established by the DeSantis administration in July in response to the nationwide voting irregularities that many believe occurred in the 2020 election.
The Election Crime and Security unit has filed multiple voter fraud charges across the state including this latest arrest. When introducing the legislation, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said, “I am excited that with this legislation, our state will be able to enforce election violations, combat voter fraud and make sure violators are held accountable. If potential violators know they will be held accountable, they will be much less likely to engage in improper conduct in the first place.”
