An Illinois woman has been charged in St. Croix County Circuit Court with four counts of election fraud.
The next court appearance for Paula Ellen Diamond, 69, is an 10:45 a.m., July 15 motion hearing. She is facing counts of voting by a disqualified person, providing false information to an election official, registering in more than one place, and voting more than once. All the counts are Class I felonies, which carries a penalty of $10,000 and/or 42 months prison.
According to the criminal complaint:
• On or about April 3, 2007, Michael Ray Overall, 65, filled out a voter registration application for his address listed as 1330 218th Ave., Star Prairie, Wisconsin, and was assigned Wisconsin voter ID number 0704444980.
• On September 13, 2019, the Star Prairie residence was sold to Hinrichs Living Trust, listing Diamond and Overall, as the former owners. This information was located via the St. Croix County website.
• On May 26, 2020, Wisconsin driver’s license records showed Overall updated his address to 823 East Briar Lane, Beloit, Wisconsin, 53511.
• On October 5, 2020, St. Croix County Clerk Cindy Campbell received an online Wisconsin application for absentee ballot for Overall. No signature is required on the absentee ballot application. Campbell mailed the absentee ballot to Overall at 2210 Pine Drop Parkway, Rockford, Illinois 61108.
• On October 12, 2020, Overall signed the ballot witnessed by Diamond. Overall and Diamond both listed the Star Prairie address on the address line.
• The ballot was mailed to Star Prairie clerk Michael Burke the following day. A copy of Overall’s Wisconsin driver’s license was also sent listing the Star Prairie address.
• On October 13, 2020, Overall provided a Wisconsin vehicle title certificate as proof of residency listing the Beloit address.
• On October 27, 2020, Overall appeared and casted an in-person absentee ballot at a Rock County location.
• In December 2020, Campbell was notified about the Rock County ballot.
Rock County Investigators contacted Diamond and Overall, in Dec. 2020. Overall remembers casting his absentee ballot in person for Beloit. As for the Star Prairie ballot, Overall said he originally was going to vote there and had Diamond do an online application for that ballot. He also stated he very likely could have casted both ballots, but was not certain, but stated he didn’t do this intentionally.
Diamond then told investigators that Overall may have accidentally mailed his Star Prairie ballot by accident as he took a bunch of mailings to the post office prior to his voting in Rock County.
In January 2021, Overall told investigators he didn’t give another thought about the St. Croix County absentee ballot after being told or believed he was being told by the town of Beloit clerk that one ballot would cancel out the other. He was reminded the St. Croix County ballot was mailed on the same day the registration form was delivered to the town of Beloit. The complaint concludes with Overall explaining even though he filled out the St. Croix ballot he had planned to register and vote appropriately under his Beloit address.
Overall was charged in June 2021 with four counts of election fraud. His next court date is a motion hearing the same time and date as Campbell’s.
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