On July 24, 2024, a Democrat running for office in Alabama was arrested on seven felony counts of voter fraud last week. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the arrest of Terry Andrew Heflin, who was running for District 5 of the Clay County Commission. The 45-year-old Clay County was also accused of unlawfully using absentee ballots.
According to allegations, Heflin falsified applications for absentee ballots for multiple people and then voted for himself with said ballots. Each count of unlawful use of an absentee ballot is considered a Class C felony punishable by over 1 year to 10 years in prison. Heflin turned himself into the authorities and is currently being held in the county jail.
Attorney General Steve Marshall released a statement on the arrest, which read, “Heflin, 45, a resident of Clay County, was charged with 7 counts of unlawful use of absentee ballots. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Heflin falsified applications to vote absentee for multiple people and then used those people’s names to vote for himself by absentee ballot.”
The statement added additional context to the event. The press release said, “Each count of unlawful use of an absentee ballot is a Class C felony punishable by 1 year and 1 day to 10 years in prison. Heflin turned himself in to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and is currently being held at the Clay County jail. The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division. No further information about the investigation or about Heflin’s alleged crimes may be released at this time.”
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen also issued a statement on Heflin’s arrest. Allen said, “I have been traveling this state and talking about absentee ballot application fraud and absentee ballot election fraud for years. When my office was made aware of what was happening in Clay County, we immediately referred the case to Attorney General Marshall for criminal prosecution.”
The secretary of state explained that any illegal activity infringing upon election integrity would not be tolerated in Alabama. He added, “Let this case of felony voter fraud be a signal to all those contemplating breaking Alabama election law that it will not be tolerated in this state. We will find you, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Social media users chimed in to express their disgust. True the Vote, a prominent conservative voice, wrote on X, “BREAKING: Alabama Democratic candidate charged with seven counts of voter fraud! Alabama News Daily reports that according to Alabama Attorney Generals office, Terry Andrew Heflin is accused of “falsifying applications to vote absentee for multiple people and then used those people’s names to vote for himself by absentee ballot.” Unlawful use of an absentee ballot is a Class C felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison.”
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Another user said, “Unlawful use of an absentee ballot is a Class C felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison. 7×10 = 70 years in prison. Seems about right for stealing votes from US citizens.” One reply advocated, “Give him the full ten years for EACH ballot, and make it international news. Send a signal to these people of what happens when you cheat during an election.”