Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Friday announced felony charges against four St. Clair Shores residents who voted twice in the August primary, and three election workers that made it possible.

The case centers on four voters who cast absentee ballots that were counted, before arriving at polling locations to cast a second ballot on Aug. 6 in three different precincts.

According to a news release from Nessel’s office: “Frank Prezzato, 68, Stacy Kramer, 56, Douglas Kempkins, Jr., 44, and Geneva O’Day  62, all of St. Clair Shores, each face one count of Voting Absentee and In-Person, a maximum penalty 5-year felony, and one count of Offering to Vote More than Once, a maximum penalty 4-year felony. Assistant Clerks Patricia Guciardo, 73, and Emily McClintock, 42, are each charged with one count of Falsifying Election Returns or Records, a maximum penalty 5-year felony, one count of Voting Absentee and in Person, and one count of Offering to Vote more than Once. Assistant Clerk Molly Brasure, 31, faces two counts of Falsifying Election Returns or Records and two counts each of Voting Absentee and in Person, and Offering to Vote more than Once.”

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Three trained assistant clerks “knowingly and willfully” altered the voter files to enable the in-person votes, “despite clear and obvious warnings” in the system, Nessel said in a press conference Friday.

The assistant clerks “broke election rules so significantly they committed a crime,” she said. “These double votes were, in fact, counted in the August 2024 primary, but fortunately did not affect the outcome of those results or any races.”

Three of the four voters involved completed an affidavit that falsely claimed they hadn’t voted, Nessel said.

Two of the assistant clerks involved were known Democrats, while the party affiliation of the others charged is unknown, she said.

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“Double voting in Michigan is extremely rare,” Nessel said, noting there were 59 reported instances of double voting in the Aug. 6 primary out of 1.8 million residents who voted. “The fact that four instances occurred in a municipality of this size raises significant concerns. It’s shocking, and it’s simply unheard of.”

“What happened here cannot be allowed to be repeated in the November general election,” she said.

The St. Clair Shores clerk reported the double votes to the Macomb County clerk, St. Clair Shores Police Department, and Michigan Bureau of Elections. The case was forwarded to Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido, who declined to pursue criminal charges.

“Frankly, some of the statements (Lucido) made were just factually inaccurate and legally incorrect,” Nessel said of Lucido’s announcement not to charge. “It’s our opinion the evidence supported criminal charges and it was plain to us.

“While I won’t speculate on why the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office declined to more thoroughly investigate or bring the appropriate criminal charges, it’s just clear to us the handling of this matter was insufficient,” she said.

Lucido, a Republican, said in late August “appropriate mechanisms functioned as intended to detect the issue.”

“We evaluate cases based on facts,” Lucido said in the statement cited by CBS News. “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.”

Media coverage of Lucido’s decision “could leave voters with the very mistaken belief they could fill out and return an absentee ballot and then subsequently appear at their polling site on Election Day and spoil their absentee ballot and vote in person,” Nessel said.

“You simply cannot do that, and I believe I have an obligation to clear that record and correct this false information espoused by the county prosecutor,” she said.

Both the voters and election employees charged on Friday face up to five years in prison, if convicted. The voters were also charged with a second four-year felony.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson issued a statement following Nessel’s announcement.

“Voting more than once is illegal. Anyone who tries to vote multiple times in an election will get caught and they will be charged,” Benson said.

“We will watch closely to see how the facts bear out in this case. But anyone who thinks thy can get away with voting fraud in Michigan should know we will not tolerate any attempt to interfere in our elections.”