Idaho Falls couple sentenced for voting twice in the 2020 presidential election
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IDAHO FALLS — An Idaho Falls couple has pleaded guilty to voting twice in the 2020 presidential election.
Adam Shumway, 44, and his wife, Lindsey, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor attempt to vote when not qualified or to repeat vote. Court records show the Shumways voted in both Idaho and Washington during the 2020 election, which led to an investigation by the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office.
Plea agreements obtained by EastIdahoNews.com show it was recommended the Shumways pay $500 fines and be placed on unsupervised probation. The couple is required to each complete 20 hours of community service geared toward teaching civic engagement. The couple was also be granted withheld judgments, meaning if they are successful on probation, the convictions will be dropped from their criminal record.
When Magistrate Judge Mark Riddoch sentenced the couple, he suspended 30 day jail sentences and placed the Shumways on four months of probation. Adam was ordered to pay $407.50 in fees and fines and Lindsey was ordered to pay $657.50, according to court records.
The investigation into the Shumways was opened earlier this year when an Idaho State employee contacted local officials and said the couple had voted in both states.
Adam told a Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office detective he and Lindsey were forwarded mail-in ballots from Washington and did not request them.
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“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.”
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.