Vanessa Rubio, an elected official in D.C. who serves as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, voted twice in the 2020 general election, according to an investigation carried out by the D.C. Board of Elections.
Rubio was fined $500 and will need to pay it by Jan. 8.
“We also take judicial notice of the fact that Ms. Rubio is an elected official,” the board said in a statement. “We see fit to hold her to a higher standard than other voters.”
According to the board, evidence showed that a ballot was issued by Maryland elections officials to Rubio in 2020.
Additionally, Rubio was issued a ballot by the D.C. Board of Elections.
“Evidence further shows that those two ballots were indeed cast,” the board said.
Investigators determined that Rubio voted in person in Maryland on Nov. 1, 2020, and in person in D.C. on Nov. 3.
Rubio “acknowledged voting twice,” investigators said, but she claimed that it was her “understanding that it was permissible to vote in D.C., as it was not a state, and then vote in a state election.”
“Voters should be aware that D.C. and other jurisdictions including states do have laws on the books against voting more than once,” said Sarah Graham, a spokesperson for the DCBOE. “It can result in fines or other legal actions.”
Graham said that the board takes “any instance of double voting seriously, and we really do remain committed to conducting secure and safe elections.”
Rubio is an ANC commissioner in 4E, which includes the Ward 4 communities of the Crestwood and 16th Street Heights neighborhoods in Northwest.
WTOP reached out to Rubio for comment but did not hear back.
It is not immediately clear if Rubio is going to face any penalties in Maryland as a result of the elections investigation in the District.
