SLED Looks into Possible Voter Fraud

By: Rachel Kent | News Channel 7
Published: January 12, 2012
Updated: January 12, 2012 - 6:45 AM

The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles says it has proof dead people are still voting in elections.

The State Attorney General's office is taking the accusation very seriously asking SLED to review the evidence.

The AG's office says the DMV's research shows hundreds of votes were cast by people, after their death.

With millions of registered voters in South Carolina, election officials say mistakes are bound to happen.

"With nearly 3 million registered voters in South Carolina we are going to have people who are dead who show up on the rolls," Greenville County Director of Elections and Voter Registration, Conway Belangia said.

But what if those deceased people are casting votes? A report conducted by the Department of Motor Vehicles says thats exactly what happened..

The report says nearly 900 deceased people have been voting, which caught the attention of Attorney General Alan Wilson.

"We are going to look at this to ensure that this is not voter fraud, which I believe it very well could be," South Carolina Attorney General, Alan Wilson said.

But Belangia says he doesn't believe that's the case. He says the more likely scenario, human error.

"Most of the time we have found that it ends up being errors by poll workers who miss mark lines, or people who use their fathers or sons voter registration and the other one has died," Belangia said.

Wilson says either way he wants answers.

The Attorney General has asked SLED to review the research to determine if voter fraud occurred.

If it did Wilson says there will be a full investigation and the state will be taking action .

"We need to hold those who have done it in the past accountable through prosecution and enforcement," Wilson said.

Something Belangia says he fully agrees with.

"If they intended to defraud the system I think they ought to be fined and put in jail," Belangia said.

Both the Attorney General and Belangia say fines and possible jail time are the only way to keep people from defrauding the system.

The State Election Commission Chairman says he is also worried about the allegations of voter fraud.

He says he's also calling on SLED to investigate.