Girl avoids jail for voting lifeless mother’s poll in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) — A decide in Phoenix on Friday sentenced a girl o two years of felony probation, fines and group service for voting her useless mom’s ballot in Arizona within the 2020 general election.

But the judge rejected a prosecutor’s request that she serve at least 30 days in jail as a result of she lied to investigators and demanded that they hold those committing voter fraud accountable.

The case against Tracey Kay McKee, 64, is one in all just a handful of voter fraud instances from Arizona’s 2020 election which have led to prices, despite widespread belief amongst many supporters of former President Donald Trump that there was widespread voter fraud that led to his loss in Arizona and different battleground states.

McKee, who was from Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale however now lives in California, sobbed as she apologized to Maricopa County Superior Courtroom Decide Margaret LaBianca before the judge handed down her sentence. McKee stated that she was grieving over the lack of her mom and had no intent to affect the outcome of the election.

“Your Honor, I wish to apologize,” McKee told LaBianca. “I don’t wish to make the excuse for my behavior. What I did was unsuitable and I’m ready to simply accept the consequences handed down by the court docket.”

Each McKee and her mom, Mary Arendt, have been registered Republicans, although she was not asked if she voted for Trump. Arendt died on Oct. 5, 2020, two days earlier than early ballots had been mailed to voters.

Assistant Attorney Normal Todd Lawson performed a tape of McKee being interviewed by an investigator along with his office the place she mentioned there was rampant voter fraud and denied that she had signed and returned her mother’s ballot.

“The one solution to stop voter fraud is to bodily go in and punch a ballot,” McKee informed the investigator. “I mean, voter fraud is going to be prevalent as long as there’s mail-in voting, for certain. I imply, there’s no approach to make sure a fair election.

“And I don’t consider that this was a good election,” she continued. “I do consider there was a lot of voter fraud.”

Tom Henze, McKee’s legal professional, pointed to dozens of instances of voter fraud prosecuted in Arizona over the previous decade, many for related violations of voting another person’s ballot, and stated nobody bought jail time in these instances. He stated agreeing with Lawson that McKee should do 30 days jail time would raise constitutional problems with fairness.

“Simply stated, over an extended period of time, in voluminous instances, 67 cases, no person on this state for comparable cases, in related context ... nobody obtained jail time,” Henze mentioned. “The court docket didn’t impose jail time in any respect.”

However Lawson stated jail time was essential as a result of the type of case has modified. While in years past, most cases concerned people voting in two states as a result of they both lived in or had property in each states, within the 2020 election individuals had purchased into Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud.

“What we’re hearing is voter fraud is out there,” Lawson instructed the judge. “And essentially what we’re seeing right here is somebody who says ‘Well, I’m going to commit voter fraud as a result of it’s an enormous downside and I’m just going to slip in below the radar. And I’m going to do it because everybody else is doing it and I can get away with it.’

“I don’t subscribe to that in any respect,” he mentioned. “And I believe the attitude you hear in the interview is the perspective that differentiates this case from the opposite instances.”

LaBianca said that whereas she agreed with Lawson, ordering jail time would give McKee what she advised the investigator what she needed: going after people who committed voter fraud.

“And if there were proof that this crime was on the rise, and that heightened deterrence may be known as for, the court may order jail time,” LaBianca mentioned. “However the report right here does not present that this crime is on the rise.

“And abhorrent as it could be for somebody just like the defendant to assault the legitimacy of our free elections without any proof, besides your personal fraud, such statements aren't illegal as far as I know,” the judge continued.