CLEVELAND — A 40-year-old Cleveland woman has been accused of illegally voting in five different elections since 2020, according to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office.
Though Fiona Allen is a legal resident of the United States, prosecutors say she is not an American citizen. According to an indictment, however, that didn't stop her from improperly registering to vote in March of 2020 before voting in that year's November election, with more ballots to follow in the primary and general elections in both 2022 and '23.
A grand jury on Thursday charged Allen with five counts of illegal voting and one count of false voter registration. If convicted, she could face up to 11 1/2 years in prison.
Allen's alleged crimes stem from March 7, 2020, when authorities say she filled out a voter registration card and answered "no" when asked if she was a U.S. citizen. Per officials, the card "explicitly states in the instructions that if you answer 'no' to the U.S. citizenship question, you should not complete the registration card," though prosecutors did not indicate how her registration was even approved if she confirmed she was not a citizen.
Illegal voting has become a hot button issue among politicians and prosecutors alike in recent years and weeks. Back in October, prior to the 2024 general election, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost indicted three Northeast Ohio residents for alleged illegal voting in past elections dating back to 2014. However, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley claims one of those accused — North Royalton resident Ramesh Patel — actually died in December 2022.
"This is one of the greatest examples of prosecutorial overreach I have ever witnessed. The practice of indicting the deceased is draconian," O'Malley said in a scathing statement last month. "This is not how we would have handled this case in my office. I am calling on Ohio Attorney General David Yost to immediately dismiss this indictment."
While voter fraud does happen in Ohio and elsewhere, experts say it is extremely rare. In August, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose referred nearly 600 cases to Yost's office on accusations of illegal voting or improper voter registration, but only six of those cases have led to indictments so far.
