Trump Supporter Arrested For Requesting Absentee Ballot For Dead Mother

President Donald Trump has a colorful imagination when it comes to the fictitious specter of “voter fraud.”

Although actual cases of people impersonating a registered voter in order to artificially alter vote totals are infinitesimally rare, Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that mail-in voting, which states have made more available this election cycle due to COVID-19, is a magnet for “fraud.”

But to the extent that “voter fraud” is a problem this year, Trump might want to take a closer look at his own supporters.

Robert R. Lynn, a registered Republican and Trump supporter in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly requesting an absentee ballot for his mother, who died in 2015.

Lynn, 67, is a resident of Luzerne County, a largely white, working-class, political bellwether that Barack Obama won twice, but which swung hard for Trump in 2016. Lynn is being charged with voter fraud and forgery for faking his deceased mother’s signature on the absentee ballot request form.

County prosecutors have told local news outlets that it is the first case of alleged voter fraud in the county in three decades. County election authorities flagged the ballot request as suspicious in September, triggering the investigation that led to Lynn’s arrest. Lynn allegedly first denied the allegations to detectives, before admitting to the deed.

Supporters of President Donald Trump filled Harveys Lake in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in early October. Trump won the historically Democratic area handily in 2016. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/Light Rocket/Getty Images)
Supporters of President Donald Trump filled Harveys Lake in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in early October. Trump won the historically Democratic area handily in 2016. (Aimee Dilger/SOPA Images/Light Rocket/Getty Images)

Lynn is due in court for a hearing on Nov. 5 ― two days after the election. The Republican, who posted $10,000 in bail, could face up to five years in prison and $25,000 in fines.

Lynn’s Facebook posts show that he is a fan of Trump’s and a bitter critic of Trump’s Democratic opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.

In one January message, Lynn shared a homemade image of Trump’s campaign logo with the words, “Finally someone with balls.”

In July, Lynn shared a conservative meme about someone who agreed to their neighbor’s request to take down their...

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