The wife of a Republican county supervisor in Iowa was convicted Tuesday of voter fraud over her attempts to “fraudulently generate votes” for her husband in the 2020 primary and general elections in the state, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors say Kim Taylor, a Vietnam native, took advantage of other Vietnamese immigrants, with limited comprehension of the English Language, by illegally filling out election forms and ballots on their behalf.
This was part of a scheme to help her husband, Republican Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor, win the GOP primary for Iowa’s 4th congressional district.
Taylor lost that primary, finishing third with about 8% of the vote. But prosecutors say his wife broke the law again when he ran for Woodbury County Supervisor in the 2020 general election and won.
“[Kim] Taylor again engaged in ballot fraud, causing absentee ballots to be fraudulently requested and cast,” The DOJ said. “Taylor submitted or caused others to submit dozens of voter registrations, absentee ballot request forms, and absentee ballots containing false information. Taylor completed and signed voter forms without voters’ permission and told others that they could sign on behalf of relatives who were not present.”
On Tuesday a jury found Kim Taylor guilty of 26 counts of providing false information in registering and voting, three counts of fraudulent registration and 23 counts of fraudulent voting.
“The right to vote is one of our most important constitutional rights. Ms. Taylor deprived citizens of their right to vote in order to benefit her husband’s campaign,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax said in a statement. “The guilty verdict is an example of how the justice system works to protect the voting rights of citizens, and ensure fair and honest elections.”
Jeremy Taylor has not been charged, but has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the case.
He defended his wife in a statement to a local outlet and indicated that he plans to continue serving as county supervisor.
“While this was certainly not the outcome we were hoping for, we respect our court system that allowed the jury to hear my wife’s side of the story,” he told KCAU. “While I plan to continue making decisions that are best for our county’s families, my first priority right now is to deal with today’s results as a private matter in order to be there for my own family, my wife and our children.”
Taylor remains free pending sentencing. She faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison on each charge.
