A Pennsylvania man has been charged with voter fraud in what has become one of the most-discussed cases of the 2020 presidential election on social media. Bruce Bartman of Marple Township, Pennsylvania, cast ballots in the names of his deceased mother and mother-in-law, both for President Donald Trump. The Delaware District Attorney announced that Bartman had been officially charged on Monday, according to a report by Forbes.
Bartman allegedly registered his deceased relatives to vote on Pennsylvania’s online voter registration portal, then requested absentee ballots and returned them all in their names. The 70-year-old confessed this crime to authorities and “explained that he cast a vote in the name of his deceased mother to reelect President Donald Trump.” Bartman is the third registered Republican to be prosecuted for voter fraud in Pennsylvania — a key battleground state in the election. However, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer urged citizens not to use this case to fuel more conspiracy theories.
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“For all the conspiracy theorists out there, this case today does not represent widespread voter fraud,” Stollsteimer said on Monday. He described the case as an isolated incident, and said that his office has followed up on “hundred” of tips with no real substance.
Another of the three credible voter fraud charges comes from Forty Fort, Pennsylvania where another man filled out an absentee ballot on behalf of his deceased mother. He was charged in October. Meanwhile, a third man in Chester County, Pennsylvania, cast an in-person ballot on election day, then returned later wearing sunglasses and claiming to be his own son.
With isolated incidents like this aside, no evidence of widespread voter fraud or election tampering has been discovered anywhere in the country in last month’s election, despite thorough investigations and recounts at the behest of the Trump campaign. In spite of that, Trump continues to promote conspiracy theories on social media, falsely claiming that he has evidence without providing any, and lying about the election results outright.
Critics of the president have circulated these three stories from Pennsylvania, reveling in the irony that some of the few confirmed cases of voter fraud were in the president’s favor, not against him. Still, the fact remains that neither side was able to pull off major voter fraud schemes. Trump’s persistent denial of this truth only threatens the public’s faith in the democratic system. President-elect Joe Biden will take office on Jan. 20, 2021.
