A Clay County Commission candidate has been charged with seven counts of voter fraud, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Wednesday.
Democrat Terry Andrew Heflin, 45, is charged with unlawful use of absentee ballots.
According to Marshall’s office, Heflin is accused of falsifying applications to vote absentee for multiple people and then used those people’s names to vote for himself by absentee ballot.
Unlawful use of an absentee ballot is a Class C felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said Wednesday Heflin’s arrest should be a warning to others.
“I have been traveling this state and talking about absentee ballot application fraud and absentee ballot election fraud for years,” Allen said in a written statement.“
…When my office was made aware of what was happening in Clay County, we immediately referred the case to Attorney General Marshall for criminal prosecution.
“Let this case of felony voter fraud be a signal to all those contemplating breaking Alabama election law that it will not be tolerated in this state. We will find you and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Heflin turned himself in to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and remained in jail Wednesday, according to jail records. The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division.
Heflin’s arrest comes as the state defends its new law putting increased restrictions on the handling of absentee ballot applications.
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“I’m proud of the Legislature’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of Alabama’s elections,” Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter said on X Wednesday in response to the arrest.
“We have a very important election coming up in November, and I have full confidence that it will be safe and secure in the great state of Alabama.”
source: aldailynews.com/county-commission-candidate-arrested-for-alleged-absentee-ballot-fraud
