News10NBC Investigates: 2 arrested in Florida for voter fraud cast ‘second’ ballot in Monroe County
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Records show two people arrested in Florida for voting fraud cast second ballots in Monroe County and one of the people arrested in Florida was an elections inspector in Monroe County for a decade.
The two people are accused of voting twice in the 2020 presidential election. Once in-person in Florida where they live and once in Monroe County where they submitted absentee ballots.
Joan M. Halstead is charged with felony fraud. The arresting document obtained from the Sumter County State Attorney’s office says Halstead voted in person in Florida in November 2020 and then "cast a second ballot in New York."
That was an absentee ballot filed in Monroe County.
Halstead is a registered Republican and from 2011 to 2019 she was a republican elections inspector in Monroe County.
John D. Rider (left) and Joan M. Halstead (right).
John D. Rider is charged with the same fraud of voting in person in Florida and casting a second ballot in New York. In November 2020, Rider was registered Republican. Records in Florida show Rider was registered Republican through at least Nov. 31, 2021. He was arrested on Dec. 3, 2021. The records now show no party affiliation.
Rider and Halstead live in a community called The Villages in central Florida.
The Monroe County Board of Elections says in 2020, Rider and Halstead filed paper applications for absentee ballots and then submitted those ballots prior to the presidential election in November.
"Per Monroe County Board of Election records, voters Joan Halstead and John Rider were actively registered and eligible for the 2020 General Election," wrote election commissioners Jackie Ortiz and Lisa Nicolay. "Signed absentee applications and returned absentee ballots were received for official canvassing."
A third person was arrested in Florida but he is accused of casting his second vote in Michigan.
We checked the registered voter roll at the Monroe County Board of Elections today. Rider is still listed as an "active" voter with a local address. Halstead is listed as "inactive."
News10NBC called Rider and Halstead. Our calls went to voicemail. Our calls have not been returned.
The Monroe County Board of Elections was contacted by police in Florida in August of this year.