Melowese Richardson is the Ohio poll worker who admitted to casting two votes in November for President Obama. Now, Ohio officials are investigating if she voted in the names of four other people as well and cast a total of six ballots in the 2012 election, according to Fox News. The investigation is part of a wider one into a number of cases of alleged voter fraud in Hamilton County, Ohio. Richardson says she filled out and submitted an absentee ballot on her granddaughter’s behalf, and her granddaughter has confirmed that claim, saying, “It wasn’t a big deal.” Furthermore:
Three other absentee ballots in the names of different people were submitted to the Board of Elections from Richardson’s address on Nov. 1. Officials say the handwriting on those ballots is similar and that they were all received together, on the same day that Richardson’s absentee ballot arrived at the office. Richardson maintains that some of the other voters live at her house.
Attempts by Fox News to reach Richardson were unsuccessful, but she claimed to the local station that the votes were “absolutely legal votes.”
Richardson is currently facing charges of voter fraud but maintains her innocence. “I can’t understand these charges against me of voter fraud,” she told Cincinnati’s Channel 9 News. “Have they never heard of . . . overlooking mailing in a ballot or registering to vote at a precinct after you’ve forgotten that you’ve mailed in a ballot or you’ve been told that the ballot may be too late?”
The local news report below includes an interview with Richardson, who is set to appear before Ohio’s Hamilton County Board of Elections on Friday, as well as footage from the testimony of five other Ohio voters accused of voting, or attempting to vote, twice. One individual revealed she was unaware that it was illegal to vote twice, while several reported confusion caused by absentee ballots.