An investigation is underway in Mitchell after Tuesday’s school board election. Craig Guymon, 54, has been arrested, charged and released on bond on a felony charge of voter fraud. Guymon ran for school board in Mitchell as recently as last year, he even filed a lawsuit contesting the election results after he lost. Now he’s accused of double voting but Secretary of State Jason Gant says an investigation into that case could have been avoided with the new electronic poll books he is working to roll out across the state. All it takes is a scan of a driver’s license to confirm a voter’s registration and if that person has already cast a ballot. “That’s why vote centers and electronic poll books are definitely the way to go, not only break down the barriers and allow more people to vote, but also to ensure no one can vote twice,” Gant said.
Gant says if new electronic poll books were being used in the Mitchell School Board election Tuesday workers wouldn’t have even allowed Guymon to allegedly vote twice. The system would have alerted them before they handed over the ballot.
“The way to solve this problem is to use vote centers and electronic poll books much like we’ve done in Sioux Falls for the past couple of years during those elections,” Gant said.
Electronic poll books were used in last year’s primary in Potter County where the auditor tried to vote twice to test the system but wasn’t allowed to cast a second ballot.
Electronic poll books have also been used in Sully, Hyde and Yankton counties in the last year.
Full Article: KELOLAND.com | SOS Gant: E-Poll Books Prevent Voter Fraud.