Bullhead City woman who voted twice loses right to vote

• Woman cast ballots in Arizona and Colorado in same 2010 election.
• Voter fraud is rare%2C penalty harsh%3A Two and a half years in prison and/or fine.
• Double voting tracked by data-sharing program among the states.

A Bullhead City woman has lost her voting privileges and faces up to two and a half years in prison for voting twice in the 2010 general election.

Carol Hannah, 65, who was a registered Republican, voted in Mohave County and in Adams County, Colo., according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. She was convicted of voter fraud.

"When we find the rare instance of voter fraud, we vigorously prosecute the offenders to the fullest extent of the law," Secretary of State Ken Bennett said.

Hannah's double voting was detected by the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, a system in which Arizona shares voter data with at least 20 other states.

Todd Lawson, an assistant attorney general, tracked records and pursued Hannah's prosecution as a Class 5 felony. She is the first voter caught under the cross-check program in Arizona to challenge the charges in court.

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She is awaiting sentencing. Although a prison sentence is possible, prosecutors say, she is more likely to face probation and a fine of up to $150,000.

The record shows that Hannah first voted in the 2010 Colorado election by mail, sending in her ballot from her Bullhead City address in mid-October. She also voted at a Bullhead City polling place on Election Day 2010.

Hannah's case is one of nine instances of potential double voting in 2010 detected by the cross-check program.

In the wake of the 2008 election, six people in Arizona were prosecuted for double voting.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-8963.