Guillermina Fuentes, 66, a school board member and former mayor of San Luis, Arizona, pleaded guilty to early ballot harvesting in the 2020 primary election. On October 13, she was given a 30-day jail sentence and two years probation for her actions.
Despite this, Fuentes stated that she is “not a criminal”. But Yuma County Superior Judge Roger Nelson says otherwise. He directly told her that she is a criminal simply because she committed a criminal offense.
According to the law, except for family members, housemates, or caregivers, being in possession of someone else’s ballot is illegal. Fuentes allegedly collected four ballots in San Luis and handed them over to Alma Juarez, who is also being charged with the same crime. Juarez was the one who put the ballots in a drop-off bin. Both pleaded guilty to a single count of ballot abuse.
Of note, San Luis residents must deliver and collect mail directly at the post office. This might be a bit of a challenge since a great number are low-income earners and do not have their own vehicles.
The said ballots were placed in mail-ballot envelopes and were signed by registered voters. Yuma County officials confirmed legitimacy and included these in the count.
Fuentes’ lawyers tried to convince Judge Nelson to lower her punishment from jail to probation by gathering stellar feedback on her character, as well as the service and leadership that she provided the community.
Unfortunately, this became part of the reason why the judge wanted to send her to jail. He said that when you have been a community leader for years, “people look up to you, people respect you, and they look to what you do.”
Despite being the only “ballot harvesting” case prosecuted in Arizona, Republicans were the first to investigate and question President Donald Trump’s loss in the state.
As a result, Fuentes is evicted from the school board, and she can no longer be elected or appointed a post unless the conviction is lowered to at least a misdemeanor. She was asked to voluntarily surrender on Saturday.
