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Cheryl Mihaliak of the 800 block of 3rd Street, Lancaster, told officials, "she voted for her mother and signed the ballot after her mother died." according to a statement released by the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office.
Mihaliak requested ballots for her mother, Teresa J. Mihaliak, 96, and herself ballots on March 17, officials say.
The mail-in ballot from Mihaliak’s mother was signed and dated April 26, but her obituary and records from the Department of Health showed Mihaliak’s mom died on April 14, and was removed from the voter rolls on April 25, according to the release.
Christa Miller, Chief Clerk/Registrar of the Lancaster County Board of Elections and Registration Commission noticed the discrepancy and relayed the information to detectives on April 28, the release explains.
Mihaliak admitted to voting for her dead mom and forging her signature in a conversation with Lancaster County Detectives on May 5. "She knew who her mother was going to vote for and decided to cast her vote posthumously," she told the detectives, according to the release.
Mihaliak and her mom were voting in the Democratic Primary.
In addition to the voter fraud charges, she has been charged with the forgery of a ballot.
Both charges are misdemeanors, punishable by a maximum of seven years in prison with a total of $15,000 in fine. If she is convicted, she will not be able to vote for a term of four years from the date of the conviction.
This is the third case of a Pennsylvania woman voting as their dead mom in the last two years.
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