(H/T: Weaselzippers)

Time and again, we hear from the Democrats that voter fraud is not an important issue. Despite their ardent insistence, we continue to see people getting arrested for voter fraud, usually from their own party! Today’s news continues that trend. Democratic Connecticut State Representative Christina Ayala has been arrested on 19 counts of voter fraud. Per the New Haven Register:

State Rep. Christina “Tita” Ayala, D-Bridgeport, was arrested Friday on 19 voting fraud charges. Ayala, 31, is accused of voting in local and state elections in districts she did not live, the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office said in a press release. The arrest warrant affidavit also alleges Ayala provided fabricated evidence to state Election Enforcement Commission investigators that showed she lived at an address in a district where she voted while actually living outside the district, according to the release. […] Christina Ayala was charged with eight counts of fraudulent voting, 10 counts of primary or enrollment violations and one count of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

So, what we should note here is that an elected representative actually lied about her residency and voted in districts where she did not live. This is not merely an activist or group of activists, this is a person trusted with public office. The Register describes the potential punishments:

According to the release, fraudulent voting is a felony punishable by not less than one year or more than two years in prison and a fine of $300 to $500 per count. Primary or enrollment violations and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence are class D felonies carrying a maximum prison sentence of up to five years per count.

But it’s also important to note that this is not her first time running afoul of the law since her career in public service began in 2012. In 2012, she was fined $350 for a hit-and-run accident not long after winning the Democratic primary for her House seat. She also faced domestic violence charges for getting into a fight with her boyfriend, although those were eventually dropped. The Election Law Center blog also notes that the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission recommended criminal prosecution against Ayala’s mother, Democratic Registrar of Voters Santa Ayala, too, for alledgedly aiding her daughter.

Folks, if nothing else, this arrest underscores just how important protecting the right to vote. It’s more than simple coincidence that most of those who oppose measures to protect that right come from the same party that counts among its members so many who have been prosecuted for voter fraud.