An elected official in D.C. and five others were fined for committing voter fraud, the D.C. Board of Elections says.
Vanessa Rubio, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Ward 4, voted in both D.C. and Maryland in the 2020 general election, according to the elections board. Documents from the board state Rubio voted in person in Maryland on Nov. 1, 2020 and then in D.C. on Nov. 3, 2020.
Rubio admitted she voted twice to the board, but said she didn't think it was illegal because D.C. is not a state, according to the documents.
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The elections board fined her $500. Rubio declined to comment to News4.
The head of ANC 4E said Wednesday that commissioners asked Rubio to resign but she refused. They will bring a motion to censure her and remove her as secretary.
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Five other voters who the board said double-voted were ordered to pay a lesser fine of $100 each. They also voted in D.C. and Maryland, officials said.
The board said it ordered Rubio to pay a heftier fine due to her position as an elected official.
None of the six cases are related to one another, officials said.
They're the first cases of voter fraud the elections board has taken action on since sharing data with the nationwide Election Registration Information Center, or ERIC.
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News4 has reached out to the Maryland Board of Elections to find out if it's taking any actions.
Double voting is not grounds to be removed from elected office in D.C. and it does not impact the person's right to vote in future elections.
