Veteran Peace Corps employee prosecuted by Rockingham County for felony illegally voting found not guilty
Sep. 28—BRENTWOOD — A jury cleared a Washington, D.C., woman of charges she had falsely claimed Derry as her residence when she voted in the 2018 general election.
Mary Kate Lowndes, 57, was charged with a felony for wrongful voting and misdemeanor charges of wrongful voting, an improper registration and misusing an absentee ballot.
After a trial in Rockingham County Superior Court, the jury found Lowndes not guilty of the felony count and two misdemeanors; a judge dismissed the final misdemeanor charge for insufficient evidence.
William Christie, with the Shaheen and Gordon law firm, defended Lowndes and praised the decision.
"Mary Kate is an honorable person who has dedicated her life at the Peace Corps and elsewhere to serving others. From day one, Mary Kate always believed she was eligible to vote in the state of New Hampshire," Christie said. "In a case that never should have been brought, we are grateful that the jury and the court fully exonerated her."
Christie has also served as legal counsel to the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
The state indicted Lowndes in September 2020 charging that she falsely claimed to be living in Derry when she voted in the Nov. 8, 2018, general election.
The misdemeanor charges alleged that she had submitted a false voter registration form that she lived in an apartment unit at 55 Crystal Ave. in Derry.
And state prosecutors alleged Lowndes had voted by absentee ballot, which was another misdemeanor because she was not entitled to vote here.
The wrongful voting charge carried a maximum penalty of 3 1/2-7 years of imprisonment and a $4,000 fine.
The three misdemeanors each carried a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison and a $2,000 fine.
Also under the New Hampshire Constitution, anyone convicted of a willful violation of the state's election laws loses for life the right to vote in this state.
