Two men from The Villages in Florida confessed to committing voter fraud in the November 2020 elections by casting multiple ballots.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Charles F. Barnes, 64, and Jay Ketcik, 63, pleaded guilty to casting more than one ballot in an election. Barnes is not affiliated with a political party in Florida. Ketcik is a registered Republican. It is unclear if they knew each other.
Ketcik was accused of casting an absentee ballot in Michigan and voting by mail in Florida. He turned himself in last December. Barnes was accused of casting one ballot out-of-state–possibly Connecticut since that was his previous address before moving to The Villages– and the other in Florida. He was arrested in January.
Both men were released from jail after paying a $2,000 bond.
The charge is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. They will be able to defer prosecution and avoid further punishment if they complete 50 hours of community service, attend a 12-week civics class, and agree to regular meetings with a supervising officer, according to court documents.
Barnes and Ketcik along with two other residents of The Villages, Joan Halstead, 71, and John Rider, 61 were arrested on voter fraud charges for casting more than one vote during the 2020 election.
Halstead and Rider are awaiting trial. They both pleaded not guilty.
