LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Clermont woman turned herself into authorities in Lake County Thursday after investigators said she filed at least 10 false voter registration forms.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office officials said 63-year-old Cheryl Hall obtained serialized voter registration cards from her employer, Florida First. The Winter Park organization solicits voter registrations, according to the news release.
On March 4, Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays said his office received 119 applications that appear to be fake.
He said the documents were either new voter registration applications, party switches from Democrat to Republican or no party affiliation to Republican. Hays estimates up to 30 voters’ party affiliations were changed.
Hays said the voters denied filling out forms. Ten people filed complaints with the office.
Election leaders launched an investigation and discovered the forms all had identical handwriting. Hays said all of the applications came from a third-party voter registration organization. The applications were submitted to the elections offices in Seminole and Orange counties.
Hays said some fake applications were filed for new voters but were not processed. He also said some voters received letters from his office alerting them that unverified personal information was submitted on an application.
“One of these falsified documents was using the name and address of a person who was born in 1928, and yet the date of birth put on there was 1979,” Hays said.
The Supervisor of Elections Office called the third-party organization to notify them of the issue.
Hall turned herself in Thursday afternoon. She was served with a Lake County warrant on 10 felony counts of submission of false voter registration.