A South Florida woman has been arrested on charges of voting in multiple states in the same election cycle over several years. Cheryl Ann Leslie, a 55-year-old physician assistant from Loxahatchee, was arrested on Friday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on two counts of casting more than one ballot in an election, both of which are third-degree felonies. The Florida Secretary of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security assisted in the investigation.
According to the FDLE, Leslie voted in the 2020 federal and state primary elections in both Florida and Alaska. Leslie’s Alaska votes were submitted by absentee ballot, while her Florida votes were submitted early and in person in Palm Beach County. Leslie told investigators that her work as a physician assistant required extensive travel between multiple states and that she works with a senior care facility in Loxahatchee.
The investigation revealed a pattern of double voting, as Leslie also voted in both states in 2014, 2016, and 2018. The information on Leslie’s multi-state voting was forwarded to the FDLE’s Election Crime Unit for further investigation by the Secretary of State’s Office of Election Crimes and Security. Leslie was subsequently arrested and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
The FDLE’s arrest of Leslie highlights the importance of ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and preventing voter fraud. Voting in multiple states in the same election cycle is a serious crime that undermines the legitimacy of elections and can have serious consequences for those who are caught.