The Penalty For Voter Fraud

CBS News in Cleveland posted an article yesterday about Melowese Richardson of Madisonville, Ohio, a former Ohio poll worker who was convicted of voter fraud after having voting multiple times for various family members. After serving less than a year of her five-year sentence, Ms. Richardson has been released from prison and put on five years probation.

The article reports:

Melowese Richardson of Madisonville was released Tuesday after her attorney says she gave him permission to reveal that she has bipolar disorder.

Her attorney, David Singleton, shared Richardson’s medical records with Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.

After reviewing the case, Deters asked Judge Robert Ruehlman to allow Richardson to be released.

The article further reports:

The 59-year-old Richardson previously told a TV station that she had voted multiple times for President Barack Obama on behalf of herself and family members. She had said she had no intent to commit voter fraud.

There are two things here that I simply don’t understand. First of all, what in the world does bipolar disorder have to do with committing voter fraud? Second of all, how can a poll worker not know that voting multiple times is committing voter fraud?

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