Alabama GOP Lawmaker Arrested on Felony Voter Fraud Charge

An Alabama Republican lawmaker was arrested Tuesday on a charge of felony voter fraud in the wake of allegations he voted in a district where he wasn’t living. On Tuesday afternoon, according to jail records, state Rep. David Cole was booked into the Madison County Jail on a charge of voting at multiple or unauthorized locations, and was released after posting a $2,500 bond. Cole, 52, has faced questions surrounding his residency status since before he was elected to represent District 10 in the Alabama House last November. Days before the election, a local news station reported that Cole—a longtime resident of District 4, according to tax records—had signed a rental agreement for a property in District 10. The move meant replacing a retiring Republican, rather than facing a bruising primary against District 4’s incumbent. Cole later admitted in sworn testimony that he was unsure how many nights he’d spent in the rental home. What’s more, a Republican opponent who’d previously raised concerns about Cole’s residency was booted off the ballot by the party.