By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — A Maryland man faces a federal charge after prosecutors say he claimed to live in New Mexico so he could register to vote here in 2022, one week before New Mexicans head to the polls for the Nov. 3 general election.
A federal grand jury indicted the 63-year-old Annapolis man on Oct. 20. The indictment alleges he submitted a voter registration application to the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office Bureau of Elections on or about Sept. 18, 2022, falsely claiming New Mexico residency.
Agents arrested the man in Milwaukee on Monday. He appeared before a federal magistrate judge in Wisconsin and walked out on bond. His case now heads back to federal court in New Mexico.
“Residency isn’t a matter of convenience when it comes to voting,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison said in a release.
FBI Albuquerque Special Agent in Charge Justin A. Garris struck a firmer tone: “If you commit a crime in New Mexico, justice will find you.”
The Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office, led by Clerk Michelle Kavanaugh, said it is cooperating with federal authorities and remains committed to running elections under state and federal law. Because the case involves an ongoing federal prosecution, the office referred questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Federal prosecutors credited the clerk’s elections bureau with helping the FBI investigate.
The man faces one count under 52 U.S.C. § 20511(2)(A), a federal law against submitting materially false voter registration applications. Neither the indictment nor the release says whether he cast a ballot in New Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean J. Sullivan and Emil J. Kiehne are prosecuting. An indictment is only an allegation, and the man is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Check your own voter registration:
- Online: voterportal.servis.sos.state.nm.us
- Bernalillo County Clerk: bernco.gov/clerk
Report suspected election fraud:
- FBI: tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Mexico: justice.gov/usao-nm
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