Prosecutor won't press charges after investigation into alleged double voting in Macomb County, Georgia

ATLANTA — Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido will not press charges after an investigation into allegations that four individuals attempted to cast two ballots during the Aug. 6 primary.

In a brief statement Thursday, the Republican prosecutor said there was no probable cause to indicate a crime had occurred and said the "appropriate mechanisms functioned as intended to detect the issue."

"We evaluate cases based on facts," Lucido said in a statement. "St. Clair Shores elections officials quickly identified the issue, preserved records for review, and reported it promptly. This demonstrates that election safeguards are effective and maintain overall integrity."

Lucido told The Detroit News Thursday that the St. Clair Shores police report received by his office indicated the individuals in question had tried to spoil their absentee ballots, believed they had spoiled their absentee ballots and then proceeded to cast a ballot in person.

He said the report submitted to the prosecutor’s office by police indicated that there was “no malicious or criminal intent displayed by any of the voters, each claiming an honest mistake.”

"The people did everything in their power to make sure that they only voted once," Lucido said. "The intent is critical on our part on whether we charge.”

Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini, a Republican, said in a statement earlier this month that his office had alerted state and local prosecutors that four individuals were suspected of "double voting," or casting a ballot once by absentee and again in person on Election Day.

The issue was identified by St. Clair Shores Clerk Abby Barrett. Forlini said he believed election administration software had warned local poll workers that the individuals in question had already cast ballots.

Forlini's office said the alleged instances were identified in precincts No. 7, No. 15 and No. 16 in St. Clair Shores, where roughly 13,000 ballots were case in the Aug. 6 primary.

A March 2022 audit of the state's qualified voter file integrity found instances of double voting were extremely rare among Michigan's roughly 8 million registered voters. Of the votes audited, 99.9% were not identified as duplicate, according to the report from the Michigan Office of Auditor General.

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(Staff writer Craig Mauger contributed.)

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