Idaho Falls couple accused of voting twice in the 2020 presidential election
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IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls couple accused of voting twice in the 2020 presidential election is facing criminal charges.
Adam Shumway, 44, and his wife, Lindsey, 41, are both charged with misdemeanor attempt to vote when not qualified or to repeat vote. Charging documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com allege the Republican couple voted in both Washington state and Idaho during the 2020 election.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office spoke with Bonneville County Clerk Penny Manning in May after an Idaho state employee emailed that the Shumways voted in both states. The email showed both Lindsey and Adam voted in Washington for the general election. Manning also showed investigators the Bonneville County poll book and election record that showed the couple voted in Idaho, according to court documents.
A detective spoke with Adam at his house in June to get his side of the story. According to the detective’s report, Adam said he and Lindsey were forwarded mail-in ballots from Washington and did not request them.
“Adam explained they decided to fill out the ballots and see what happened,” the probable cause affidavit reads. “He did not believe their votes would affect anything. Adam states they filled them out and placed them in the mail. Adam stated they were just going to let them figure it out.”
The couple reportedly voted in person in Idaho. Adam told investigators they moved to Idaho close enough to the election making “it a little gray area where we can fuzz it.” Adam also told the deputy they did not believe voting twice would sway the election, according to court documents.
Lindsey told investigators it did not occur to her that voting twice would be a crime. She said she did not know anything about Idaho election laws.
Lindsey is not new to the political front. In 2018, she ran as a Republican for a seat in the Washington House of Representatives. She lost the primary election with 17.56% of the vote, losing to the incumbent Democrat.
The Shumways are scheduled for their arraignment at the Bonneville County Courthouse on Thursday. The couple was not arrested but issued summons to appear in court.
Although the Shumways are accused of crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.