BELCHERTOWN — A couple accused of voting twice during the 2016 election — once in Belchertown and once in New Hampshire — pleaded guilty to the felony charge brought against them on Monday in Rockingham Superior Court in New Hampshire.
Grace and John Fleming Jr., who own properties in Hampton, New Hampshire and Belchertown, were indicted last year for knowingly casting a New Hampshire ballot after they had already cast a ballot that same year in Belchertown, according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice.
The couple was sentenced to serve 60 days in the House of Corrections, which the sentence suspended for a year on the condition of good behavior. Both were ordered to pay $1,000 and a $240 penalty assessment and lost their rights to vote in New Hampshire.
Authorities became aware of the double voting through the Interstate Voter Crosscheck Program, a system that compares records across states to detect individuals who are registered to vote in more than one state.
In September 2018, Grace Fleming told New Hampshire Public Radio that the couple voted in person in Belchertown on Election Day after forgetting that they had already sent in their New Hampshire absentee ballots.
But according to Belchertown Town Clerk Colleen Toothill-Berte, the Flemings voted early in person, she told the Gazette at the time of their indictment. The Flemings both registered as Republicans in Belchertown, according to Toothill-Berte.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.