What to Know
- Bruce Bartman, 70, of Marple Township, is accused of illegally voting for President Donald Trump under the names of his deceased mother and his deceased mother-in-law.
- An Absentee Ballot under the name of Bartman's deceased mother was received and recorded by the Delaware County Bureau of Elections and the illegal vote was counted in the tally for the November 3 election, investigators said.
- Delaware County's district attorney said the incident was the the only known case of a ‘dead person’ voting in the county.
A Delaware County man is accused of illegally voting for President Donald Trump under the names of his deceased mother and deceased mother-in-law.
On Aug. 20, Bruce Bartman, 70, of Marple Township, used Pennsylvania’s online voter registration portal to register both his deceased mother, Elizabeth Bartman, as well as his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Weihman, who died in 2019, according to voter records.
Investigators say Bartman is a registered Republican who illegally registered both deceased women as Republican voters in an attempt to reelect President Trump.
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An Absentee Ballot under Elizabeth Bartman’s name was received and recorded by the Delaware County Bureau of Elections and the illegal vote was counted in the tally for the November 3 election, investigators said.
Bartman allegedly admitted to illegally registering both deceased women. He was arrested Friday and charged with perjury and unlawful voting.
Despite the arrest, Delaware County officials described the incident as isolated.
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“First, this is the only known case of a ‘dead person’ voting in our county, conspiracy theories notwithstanding,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said. “Further, the prompt prosecution of this case shows that law enforcement will continue to uphold our election laws whenever presented with actual evidence of fraud and that we will continue to investigate every allegation that comes our way.”
“Second, even though this was the most secure election in our lifetimes, human history shows that there are always some who will try and criminally cheat any system. The fact that Mr. Bartman was able to register two deceased individuals through the Commonwealth’s online voter registration system should trouble our state lawmakers. After all, the Delaware County Voter Registration Commission can only administer the system our Legislature puts in place.”
