Man Sentenced For Voting Twice
By Katie DeLong
MILWAUKEE – We’re still a few weeks away from the election, and already, local prosecutors have busted two people for voting twice.
In court, Ron Hoppus admitted during the November 2006 election, he voted twice.
He told the judge because he owned properties in Brookfield and Milwaukee counties, he thought it was okay.
Hoppus might have thought it was okay, but Judge Thomas Donnegan says…
“It seems to be shocking to me that a citizen of this country would think, you seem to be saying you think you could vote twice. Are you saying you thought that was okay?” Judge Donnegan said.
Judge Donnegan says it was shocking that Hoppus didn’t know it was illegal for him to vote more than once on Election Day.
“You never heard that concept of one vote per person? Each person gets one vote?” Judge Donnegan said.
Hoppus admitted he did.
It happened back in 2006. In the morning, he voted in Milwaukee, where he owns a house. Later that night, he voted again in Brookfield.
Hoppus says he didn’t know he was breaking the law.
“It will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life. I have never been so ashamed,” Hoppus said.
Hoppus now says he regrets what he did.
The assistant district attorney wanted the judge to throw the book at Hoppus calling this one of the worst possible election fraud offenses.
“It dilutes the value of other honest voters. It speaks of a personal opinion of Hoppus that somehow his viewpoint on issues of politics are twice as valuable as any other man,” Bruce Langraf said.
Instead, the judge arrived at what he thought was a fair punishment.
“You did violate the law by trying to have two of your votes count when all the rest of us gets one,” Judge Donnegan said.
Hoppus was facing three and a half years in prison. Instead, he got nine months in the House of Correction.
The judge said he had to send the message to Hoppus and the community at large that no one gets to vote twice.
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