Did she really think she could get away after doing this?
In Washington, D.C., a recent ruling by the city’s elections board shed light on a case involving multiple voters, including Vanessa Rubio, an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. Rubio faced a $500 fine for her involvement in double voting during the 2020 general election, having cast votes in both D.C. and Maryland.
During the investigation, Rubio admitted to voting in person in D.C. for the 2020 general election but initially claimed no recollection of voting in Maryland. However, when presented with her signature on a Maryland voting card, she acknowledged its authenticity, albeit stating it was a ‘sloppier’ version. Rubio admitted the possibility of voting in Maryland but insisted she couldn’t recall doing so. Interestingly, she mentioned a belief that voting in multiple states wasn’t explicitly prohibited and presumed that the system would prevent such actions if attempted.
Despite requests for comment, Rubio remained silent regarding the issue. Notably, neighborhood commissioners serve two-year terms in a nonpartisan and unpaid capacity. Five other individuals were also discovered to have unintentionally voted in both D.C. and Maryland and were fined $100 each.
The elections board justified the higher fine imposed on Rubio by emphasizing the importance of maintaining a higher standard for elected officials. Their decision reflected the belief that elected representatives should be held to a stricter level of accountability compared to regular voters.
While former President Donald Trump alleged widespread voter fraud in the 2016 and 2020 elections, election officials across the country consistently state that instances of voter fraud are extremely rare. In the District of Columbia, where about 340,000 votes were cast in the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden secured a substantial lead over Trump, receiving nearly 300,000 more votes in this predominantly Democratic area. Similarly, in Maryland, Biden’s victory was clear, securing approximately 1.98 million votes compared to Trump’s 976,000.
This case, amidst the relatively small number of double voting instances discovered by the DC elections board, highlights the rarity of such occurrences within the broader context of elections involving hundreds of thousands of votes.
