A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to five years of probation after admitting to casting an illegal ballot in his late mother’s name in last year’s Nov. 3 general election.
Bruce Bartman, 70, apologized to Judge Richard Cappelli at a hearing Friday (April 30) that he “made a stupid mistake” when he illegally cast a mail-in ballot for his late mother.
The man’s attorney, Samuel Stretton, told the court that Bateman’s decision was “a political mistake that went astray and was very foolish. The illegal votes he cast were for former President Trump.
Bateman pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and one count of unlawful voting. In addition to his suspended sentence, Bateman is not allowed to vote in elections or serve on juries for four years.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said he believes “justice has been served” with Bateman’s guilty plea.
“There was no public interest in his incarceration,” Stollsteimer said, “and this defendant was willing to take responsibility for his actions from the beginning and paid the price for them.”
Bateman used the driver’s license number of his mother, who died more than a decade ago, to register and cast a mail-in ballot for her.
He also registered to vote for his late mother-in-law, but did not receive a ballot, officials added.
“This criminal investigation and prosecution by my office should serve as a roadmap for meaningful reform for the Pennsylvania legislature and officials charged with reviewing the election system,” Stolstimer said in a statement.
“Our office has done everything it can to ensure our elections are safe yet accessible, but the next battle is in Harrisburg (Pennsylvania’s capital).”
Stolstimer said he wants to say to “those who review the election system” to “remove the failing system, not the ballot box.”
Several U.S. states are considering reforms to absentee and mail-in ballot regulations in the wake of the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. This week, the Florida Legislature passed a bill with more regulations on ballot boxes and more identification requirements for voters who want to mail in their ballots.
The Joe State election reform law has generated the most controversy to date. The bill, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in March, requires vote-by-mail ballots to be verified, among other provisions to enhance election security.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court also dismissed a lawsuit over a vote by mail dispute in Pennsylvania.
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