Marion County woman charged with voting more than once says it's a misunderstanding

A 66-year-old Ocala woman charged with casting more than one ballot in an election cycle calls the case a misunderstanding.

Donna Brady said Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, who conducted the investigation, told her she had a warrant for her arrest. Brady said she turned herself in at the Marion County Jail on Monday. Jail records show she was released Monday night.

"I didn't do anything intentionally. I don't think I did anything wrong. I thought I had everything straightened out," she said, making reference to her interview with FDLE agents who interviewed her in late October 2022. "The whole thing is depressing."

The original story: Marion County woman charged with voter fraud after double voting in 2020

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A summary of the accusation

If convicted of the charge, a third-degree felony, Brady could be fined up to $5,000 and/or imprisoned for up to five years.

Brady's arrest report states she voted four times during the 2020 election period. Three of Brady's votes were by mail, and the fourth was in person.

Two of the four ballots were cast in Marion County, and the remaining two in Sussex County, New Jersey. Authorities said two of Brady's votes were in the presidential primary election --- one in Marion County, the second in New Jersey. The other two votes were in the general election --- again, one each in Marion County and New Jersey.

In Marion County, Brady voted as a registered Republican. In New Jersey, she voted as a Democrat, according to Brady's arrest report.

FDLE officials said Brady voted in March, July and twice in October.

Brady's explanation

In an email and a phone interview with the Star-Banner, Brady said she only voted for federal office once in Florida, which was the Republican primary. In New Jersey, she said she only voted for "down ballot" races, such as local council or school board, on both the primary and general ballots.

Brady said it was an open primary in New Jersey, "so if you want to vote for a particular party, you have to pick a party when you vote in the primary." She said "you stay in that party until you change it."

She said she usually switches party affiliation before the general election. But in 2020, Brady said, she could not switch because of COVID-19-related shutdowns of New Jersey elections offices.

"Everyone in NJ had to vote by mail. The polls were only open to provisional and disabled voters," she said. Brady said she's an independent.

Brady said she's a snowbird and most of her time is spent in Marion County. In Marion she is a registered Republican so that she can vote in GOP primaries.

She thinks both states "have destroyed the original ballots" from 2020 and she "voted very carefully in 2020 to ensure that I didn't break any of the rules."

"Election law can be confusing because each state has its own regulations," she said.

She said she explained all this to the FDLE agents. She also told them that, because of the pandemic restrictions, she was unable to check with the New Jersey Board of Elections on "whether I as a taxpayer could vote in the local elections."

She added: "I did not vote for Congressional offices. I did not vote for President in NJ --- not in the primary and not in the general election."

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

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This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Vote fraud defendant: I voted federal in Florida, local in New Jersey