Buster

Two Florida Republicans Charged With Voting Twice In 2020 Election

Two registered Republicans living in Florida’s sprawling The Villages retirement community have been separately charged with voting twice in the 2020 presidential election, according to court records.

The defendants--Joan Halstead, 72, and Jay Ketcik, 63--have each been charged with a felony fraud count, according to court records. Halstead and Ketcik, seen in the above mug shots, were freed from custody last week after posting $2000 bond.

Halstead and Ketcik are registered Republicans, according to Florida state voting records.

Investigators allege that Halstead voted in person in Florida in late-October 2020, and “also cast a second ballot in New York via absentee ballot.” Halstead bought her home in The Villages in April 2020 for $250,400. At the time of the purchase, Halstead listed her address as a residence in Rochester, New York. Halstead sold the New York property after buying her Florida home.

Ketcik has been charged with voting by mail in Florida in October 2020 and casting “a second ballot in Michigan via absentee ballot.” Ketcik and his wife Karen purchased their residence in The Villages for $345,200 in July 2019. At the time of the purchase, Ketcik listed his residence as a home in Lansing, Michigan. He sold that property in July 2020, according to Michigan property records.

If convicted of the third degree felony count, the defendants could face a maximum of five years in state prison. Court filings do not reveal how investigators uncovered the alleged voter fraud.