Kim Taylor, the wife of an Iowa county supervisor, was found guilty of 52 counts of voter fraud Tuesday, concluding a months-long case into her interference in the 2020 election.
Federal prosecutors said Taylor attempted to “generate votes” in the 2020 primary and general elections in Iowa in order to help her husband, Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor, win the primary for Rep. Steve King’s (R-Iowa) former seat.
Jeremy Taylor lost that primary, receiving only 8 percent of the vote, but prosecutors said Kim Taylor again broke the law in assisting her husband to seek reelection as a supervisor that fall, which he did win.
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According to prosecutors, Taylor applied for and submitted false absentee ballots, signed ballots on voters’ behalf without their permission and encouraged others to do the same.
She was arrested in January.
The 52 counts carry a maximum sentence of five years each. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax denounced Taylor’s actions in a statement to local outlet KCAU.
“The right to vote is one of our most important constitutional rights. Ms. Taylor deprived citizens of their right to vote in order to benefit her husband’s campaign,” Duax said. “The guilty verdict is an example of how the justice system works to protect the voting rights of citizens, and ensure fair and honest elections.”
Jeremy Taylor, still serving as a county supervisor, defended his wife in a statement.
“While this was certainly not the outcome we were hoping for, we respect our court system that allowed the jury to hear my wife’s side of the story,” he told KCAU. “While I plan to continue making decisions that are best for our county’s families, my first priority right now is to deal with today’s results as a private matter in order to be there for my own family, my wife and our children.”