Florida Voter Caught Seeking Ballot for Dead Wife

Larry Wiggins is charged with a felony
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 5, 2020 12:08 PM CDT
Florida Voter Caught Seeking Ballot for Dead Wife
The envelope of a mail-in ballot is seen in this file photo.   (Getty Images)

A Florida man is in trouble after requesting a mail-in ballot for his dead wife, WFLA reports. Larry Wiggins was arrested Thursday in Manatee County and charged with requesting a mail-in ballot on behalf of another elector, a third-degree felony. His explanation? "I heard so much about ballots being sent in and people just having found them in different places," says the 62-year-old. "I feel like I haven't done anything wrong." Wiggins further claims he was just testing the system, didn't plan to use the ballot, and didn't try to replicate his late wife's signature on her application: "I said well, let me just send it in and see what's going to happen to see if they're actually going to send a ballot for her to vote," he says.

Election officials caught the error when they checked the voter roll and noticed that Wiggins' wife died two years ago, per the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Then they noticed that the signature didn't match. "He wanted to test the system," says Manatee County Elections Supervisor Michael Bennett. "He did test the system, and guess what? It worked." Bennett, a Republican, says voter fraud is rare in Florida but he will prosecute such cases to the hilt. Wiggins, a registered Democrat, says he supports President Trump. He posted a $1,500 bond to get out of jail on Friday. (More mail-in voting stories.)

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